Eventually
by JokertheMatrix
Summary: Human AU. Those who are close fight, some more than others. But they eventually make things right again. 30 Days OTP Challenge Fic. Eventual USUK. Rated T for swearing and other stuff
1. Holding Hands

_Even though I'm uploading something, I'm still on hiatus. The reason I'm uploading something is to fight my block and to see if writing will help me get over the reason of my hiatus. For more details on the hiatus, just go on my profile._

_Anyways, this is my first time doing a 30 day challenge, so it might be pretty random, crack-like, horrible, etc. Well anyways, I hope you enjoy!_

**Hetalia and its characters are not mine and neither is anything else I might reference later on**

* * *

All dorm rooms were essentially the same in World Academy W. The only thing that set them apart were how they were decorated and the default color of the walls; for the boy's dorms, all the rooms were painted royal blue with golden top and bottom plates. All rooms had two oak full-sized beds on the left side of the room, the beds horizontally put out so that the headboard stood against the wall. All rooms had the same faded carpet, the same alcove at the back side of the room, the same kind of wall closet on either side of the alcove, the same nightstand separating the two beds…

And all rooms had the same thin walls.

"Can't they just lay off of each other for five seconds?"

His roommate chuckled as Matthew set down his book, a faint scowl on his face as he turned to the wall that separated his room from another's. Matthew was sitting on his bed, his being the one closest to the alcove. Since today was a Saturday, he wore a red hoodie with a maple leaf on it and jeans as opposed to his usual school uniform. The room was bathed with faded sunlight as nighttime approached, giving the room a quiet feel in contrast to the loud noises that could be heard from the other side as Matthew's brother argued with his roommate. "This is ridiculous…"

"You're finally at the end of your rope as well?" Matthew sighed as he faced his roommate, who was sitting in front of a study desk near the door.

"End of my rope? They burned the rope altogether." Matthew ran a hand over his wavy, two-toned blonde hair. "How long do you think they'll argue this time?"

"All day by the sounds of it," Francis replied as he turned towards Matthew. He was dressed simply today, only wearing a black V-neck long-sleeved shirt over some jeans. His shoulder-length blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail, presumably to keep it off his face as he worked. Aesthetic black glasses sat atop his nose, framing his twinkling blue eyes. "But I must say, this little squabble of theirs is getting out of hand. It's been going on since-"

"Around three o'clock p.m., if my memory's right," Matthew moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "Ugh, can't they just make-up already? What started this all anyways? Sure they argue a lot normally, but this is way too much, even for them! I mean, now they can't even pass the sugar without arguing!"

"'Pass the sugar'?" Francis struggled not to laugh. "_Matthieu, _you never cease to surprise me…But can't you just ask that brother of yours as to why they cannot so much as look at each other without fighting?"

Matthew frowned. "Search me, Al won't tell me a thing… All I know is that it has something to do with a huge argument, but that's it…" A thought popped up in his head. "You haven't heard anything from Arthur, have you?"

Francis let out a short bark of laughter. "_Mon ami, _I do not get along with him under normal circumstances, what makes you think that I do now? I can hardly look at him nowadays without a spoon thrown my way… But this is whole fight is all for the better, _oui?_ Love is said to grow better in the face of adversity."

"They also say that stupidity prospers if you cultivate the plant from which it grows."

"Nobody says that."

"They should," Matthew remarked as he stood up. He glanced at his closet. "Putting that aside, you just gave me an idea on how to get the both of them to shut up."

''''''

"...At least I'm not some old fart who knits all day!"

"Ha! Is that the best you've got Jones?"

The two glared at each other. Their room was identical to all the others, save for the various game consoles and magazines scattered on one side of the room and bookshelves and books on the other. The two teens were standing in the middle of the room, standing so close together that their chests were almost touching.

"What, can't think of a comeback to that, old man?" Arthur snorted as Alfred spoke with an irritatingly smug voice. The other was wearing a red shirt with blue sleeves and gray jogging pants. Short, dusty blonde hair with a piece of hair sticking up on the right side of his head framed his face, glasses framing his eyes. He was only taller than Arthur by two centimeters, but it was enough for him to have to lower his face down a bit to meet Arthur eye-to-eye. Arthur snorted, meeting the other's sky blue eyes with a contemptuous glare.

"Please, it's not worth my time to answer back to your so-called 'insult'."'

"That's 'cause you can't think of anything to say back!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. _This is going nowhere._ "You do realize that no matter how many times you repeat the same sentence, my answer will stay the sa-"

_Click!_

They both looked down to see Matthew crouched down beside them. They had been so busy arguing that they hadn't notice Matthew come in, nor did they notice that he had just handcuffed their left hands together.

"M-Matt!" Alfred lifted up his hand, lifting up Arthur's at the same time. "When'd you come here?"

"Just now," Matthew replied as he stood up. He eyed them both with calm violet eyes. "I wouldn't be flailing so much right now Al; you're jerking Arthur's hand around."

"That doesn't matter now!" Alfred continued to flail his arms around, much to Arthur's irritation. "Why'd you handcuff us together?!"

"Easy; you guys won't shut up."

"Still, that does not call for-" Arthur yanked his hand down before he continued. Alfred yelped at the sudden motion. "-handcuffing us together! By the way, where did you even get these?" He shook his hand for emphasis. "I doubt that these are allowed on school grounds!"

"You know how I use Al's old suitcase? I found his old handcuff toy stashed in there… You know, from the brief time he wanted to be a police officer when we were kids. Anyways, the key's right here." Matthew waved the key in front of their faces before pocketing it. "I'll get the handcuffs off of you guys once you two cool it and stop fighting. You're giving both me and Francis a headache."

"Why can't you just remove it no-?" Matthew silenced Alfred with a glare.

"Al, you and Arthur have been arguing nonstop for three months over the smallest of things, _I think we deserve some silence._" Both teens were stunned at Matthew's forceful tone. _ "_Honestly, you two grew up with each other; shouldn't being childhood friends make you argue less instead of more?" He shook his head. "Apparently not… well, until you two learn how to play nice, I'm leaving them on._"_ Before either boy could argue, Matthew stalked off, slamming the door behind him. Silence enveloped the room.

"Well what should we do now?" Alfred said exasperatedly as he walked towards his bed near the front of the room, dragging Arthur with him. He plopped down on the bedside, forcing Arthur to sit next to him. "There's not much you can do when you're handcuffed…"

"It's your fault that we're in this mess in the first place," Arthur chided. "I haven't seen Matthew that mad since the day you spilt his maple syrup all over that stuffed bear of his…"

"That was an accident!" Alfred huffed. "And it's 'spilled', not 'spilt'. For a literature freak like you, I'd expect you to use words correctly or something…"

"Excuse me for using _proper _English."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means you're an intolerable git, that's what," Arthur snapped as he ran a hand through his hair. "Can't you go _one _second without having the need to contradict me?"

"Can't you?" Alfred fell back, causing Arthur to fall with him. They both lay on the bed, their heads facing the ceiling. "This sucks."

"Really?" Arthur exaggerated his tone. "Personally, I'm having the time of my life."

"Really? 'Cause I'm not." Alfred sighed, apparently not noticing Arthur's sarcasm. "It really does suck being handcuffed to you…"

"If you haven't noticed, the feeling's mutual."

"Well yeah, but it's extra worse for me! I mean, who would want to be handcuffed to _you_ of all people?"

"If you hate it _that _much, just go ask your brother to set us free." Arthur rolled to his side. Alfred yelped as he was yanked to the right.

"Hey, careful there!"

"I'm sorry; I didn't know you were so delicate." Arthur struggled not to roll his eyes or sound too sardonic. "But really, just go ask your brother to free us if it bothers you that much."

"You heard him! He probably won't set us free until we start holding hands or something like that!" There was a pause. Arthur froze.

"You're not seriously considering that, are you?"

'

"I can't believe you actually considered it."

Alfred didn't reply. He opened the door into Matthew's room and lifted their entwined hands up. "Oi Matt! We're playing nice now, so can you set us free already?"

Matthew blinked as he looked up from his book. "When I said that you guys had to play nice…" He started out slowly. "… I didn't mean it literally."

"So will you let us go already?" Arthur mumbled, feeling the tips of his ears go red. He glared at Francis. "And what are you looking at?"

"Oh nothing, nothing…" Arthur could've sworn that he saw the other man smirk as he turned back to his laptop. "Nothing at all…"

"Anyways!" Alfred interrupted Arthur before he could speak. "Will you let us go already Matt?"

"No, I don't think so." Matthew looked back down on his book and flipped a page. "You're probably only 'playing' nice after all."

"What in the world is that supposed to me-?"

"It means that he thinks this is all an act, which it is." Arthur sighed. "I told you this wouldn't work."

"Then why'd you let me do it?"

"Because you dragged me outside before I could even say 'You are the most idiotic person I have ever met in my life'."

"If you will…" Francis didn't take his eyes off his laptop screen. "I have some work I need to finish, so will you two please take your sexual tension out the door?"

"What sexual tension?!" Matthew flipped another page.

"You know, saying stuff simultaneously is a couple's thing. But anyways…" He turned towards them with a stern look. "Not unless you guys promise to keep it quiet for the rest of today and tomorrow… If not, I think I'll just leave them on for a little while longer, eh?"

"What?!" Alfred gaped at Matthew. "You're kidding, right? How in the world will I shower if I'm still handcuffed to him?!"

"I don't see what the problem is," Francis interjected. "It's not like you two have anything to hide from each other, no?"

Alfred blushed. "Still, that's sorta… I mean…" He glanced at Arthur for a short second before looking back at his brother. "Agh, just get them off!"

"Will you two get along for at least a day?"

Arthur let out a disbelieving breath. "As much as I'd love to agree, Matthew, I think that us getting along for even that short period of time is impossib-"

"Okay, we'll do it!" Alfred suddenly flailed his arms around in a frenzy. "Just take these off already!"

"All right, all right! Just stop flailing already!" Matthew stood up in alarm. He hurried towards them. "What's gotten into you Al?"

"Nothing, nothing, just…" He stuck his and Arthur's hand out as Matthew neared them. "…Take 'em off, okay?"

"Okay, okay…" He took the key out of his pocket and crouched down. "You're really desperate, aren't you Al?"

"No kidding…" Arthur looked away as Matthew took off the handcuffs. "No kidding at all…"

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 29_


	2. Cuddling Somewhere

_Something's not right._

Alfred sat on his bed, his laptop resting on top of his outstretched legs. On the other bed sat his roommate and childhood friend, Arthur. The other was wearing a T-shirt and plaid blue pajama pants, somewhat baggy clothes that somehow accentuated his slender frame. His face was buried into a rather thick book, leaving only his messy, short blonde hair to be seen. Neither of the two spoke, filling the room with a silence befitting the night.

And that was what freaked Alfred out the most.

_I know we promised my brother that we'd stay silent…_ Alfred thought as he clicked the 'next' button. _…But isn't this going too far?_ While Arthur was the type to keep his word, there was something about this silence that told Alfred that this was different from his normal silences. Almost as if… _Is he mad about something?_

Alfred skimmed over the names of video games, his heart not really into video game shopping anymore. _Well, it's not _my _fault, right? I mean, that was his fault entirely… _His hand hovered over the mouse pad. _Still, there's something about this that's just…_

_ Unsettling._

"Hey." From the corner of his eye, Alfred saw Arthur stiffen as he spoke. "If you're mad because Matthew handcuffed us together, you were the one who said that the feeling was mutual, so I don't see why you'd still be upset about i-"

"What in the blazes are you going on about?" Arthur relaxed despite sounding irritated. Had he been expecting something else? "Now why would I be mad at Matthew? While his method was rather unconventional, it did the job, didn't it? And we were rather bothersome, so I can't fault him for anything."

Alfred shut his laptop down and put it to the side. He turned to Arthur, his eyes wide. "So you're not mad about the handcuffs?"

Arthur scoffed. "No, but I suppose I should appreciate your concern over me. It's not every day that you actually attempt to read the atmosphere."

"Hey, it's not like I did it for you," Alfred said as he picked up his laptop and stood up. "It's 'cause it's weird, that's all."

"Oh no, because being handcuffed is an everyday occurrence."

"Not that," Alfred said as he put his laptop down on the desk near the alcove. "It just seemed that…" He shook his head. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter now."

"Doesn't matter?" Arthur put his book down on top of the night stand. "Alfred, what's gotten into you? You're acting rather uncharacteristic at the moment."

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong with me." Alfred sat down, uninvited, on Arthur's bedside. Arthur made a little noise as he moved to sit up cross-legged. "While we're on the topic though, are you okay?"

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"I dunno, you just seem sorta… sorta…" Alfred made a vague gesture with his hands. "…out of it, I guess?"

"You should take lessons from Feliciano; your hand gestures are atrocious." Despite his tone, Arthur was eyeing Alfred curiously, his lime-green eyes alight with interest. "And why in the world would you care if I'm, quote-by-quote, 'out of it'?"

"Do I have to explain myself?" Alfred asked, fidgeting a little. "I mean, you just seem out of it, that's all."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Alfred, I think that you've forgotten that only a short time ago, we had been arguing for so long that we had to be handcuffed to be silent. 'Surprised' is hardly what I'm feeling right now when you suddenly ask me if I'm okay."

"Well I wouldn't be asking if you weren't acting so weirdly in the first place…" Arthur looked at him.

"Acting weirdly? A 'literature freak' reading a book is somehow 'acting weirdly'?" Alfred fidgeted some more.

"When you put it that way…" He shook his head again. "You know what? Just forget it. You're okay, and that's all that matters, right? Even if you are acting a bit weirdly…"

"Alfred, if I were to be saying that anyone was acting weirdly, I would say that it was you." Arthur leaned forward. "Are _you _okay? You're not sick, are you?"

"Nah, I'm fine." Alfred shooed Arthur's hand away as the other reached out to touch his forehead. "It's just that… uh…" Alfred mumbled something under his breath. _I really shouldn't have asked him if he was alright…_

"What was that?"

"Nothing, just…" Alfred stood up. "Nothing."

'''''

Alfred woke up to utter darkness… or so he expected. In truth, he woke up to a dimly lit room, the light coming from the lamp on the nightstand.

"What in the…?" Alfred took his glasses off the nightstand and put them on. He turned to the side and saw Arthur sitting on his bed, still reading his book. "Arthur?"

"Huh?" Arthur scratched his eye as he faced Alfred. "Oh… g'morn Alfred… What are you doing up so early?"

"Morning? It's the dead of the night Arthur." Alfred glanced at the alcove window to make sure. Indeed, moonlight still flooded into the room. "Why are you still up?"

"Oh, I…" Arthur yawned. "I think I might have… might have… uhhh…"

"Got so into the book that you forgot to sleep?" Alfred sighed as he stood up. "I forgot that you used to do that a lot when we were kids…" He walked over to his roommate's bed and plucked the book out of his hands. "Seems like you haven't quite broken out of that habit yet, have ya Artie?"

"No… Not true… Now give me my damn book…" Arthur yawned again before feebly reaching out to his book.

"Oh no, you need some sleep," Alfred scolded as he moved the book out of reach. "You know, that concentration of yours is dead scary. Once you get immersed into something, you forget necessities like sleeping. You can seriously hurt yourself like that, you know."

"'Deadly scary'…" Arthur kept reaching out for his book. "It's 'deadly scary', not 'dead scary'…"

"Even when you're tired, you have enough energy to lecture me…" Alfred sighed again as he stood up and started to walk around the bed. "And for the record, 'deadly scary' sounds utterly stupid."

"Does not. That's how it's used in a lot of literature. I find a lot of books that says that it's 'deadly something'…"

"Doesn't change the fact that it sounds stupid." Alfred stopped once he was on the other side of Arthur's bed. He set the book down on the nightstand. "Now go to sleep Artie."

"Noo…" Arthur grabbed Alfred's shirt. "My book… Give me back my book, you brat…"

"You need to stop reading dude," Alfred said as he swatted the other's hand away. "There's always tomorrow, you know."

"But I'm almost done…"

"I don't care, sleep."

Alfred turned and started to walk back to his own bed. Unfortunately, Arthur had grabbed his shirt again and ended up being dragged out of his bed. The other fell onto the floor with a hard thud. "Oww…"

"You sure are hopeless, aren't you Artie?" Alfred crouched down as the other sat up.

"Uugh… Don't call me Artie…" Alfred laughed softly.

"Dude, I've been calling you that this whole time, now's the time when you notice it?"

"I…Idiot…" Arthur yawned again. "You… you really are an idiot, do you know that…?" Alfred lifted his hands up.

"I may be an idiot, but I'm not the one acting like a drunkard."

"Idiooot…" Arthur kept on talking as if Alfred had not spoken. "So idiotic… Like that plan of yours… It never would have worked, but you were the one who wanted to hold hands and stuff..."

"It's your fault that you got us into handcuffs in the first place. I only did that 'cause it might have set us free." Alfred didn't know why he was arguing with a sleepy person, but he couldn't help himself. "We didn't have to argue, you know. If you could only agree with me, then half the things we argue about wouldn't be an issue."

"Even when you hated to, you insisted on holding hands…" Arthur said quietly, ignoring Alfred. "Even when you hated me…"

"What?" Alfred started to reach out for him, but then quickly put his hand down. "Arthur, you know that I don't hate you."

"I don't know that…" Arthur's quiet voice sent chills through Alfred's spine. "I don't know that at all…"

"Yes you do," Alfred insisted. "Name one thing that I've done that makes you think that I hate you."

"Constantly argue with me, make fun of me, call me things like an old fart…" Arthur's voice was blunt. "I could go on forever you know…"

"Well yeah, but it's not like I mean any of it…" Alfred scratched the back of his head. "I only argue with you so much because you're as stubborn as a pack mule… among other things of course."

"See? Just like that…" Arthur hung his head dejectedly. "Even though I've known you for a long time, you always… you never make it clear on whether you like me or if you hate my guts…"

"Artie, didn't I just tell you that I don't hate you? I mean…" Alfred bit his lip before speaking again. _What the hell; come morning, and he won't remember this conversation at all. _"We may argue a lot, but it's never anything serious, right? It gets fixed one way or another, right? 'Cause I don't like it when we're on really bad terms, so I make sure that we're at least on sort of good terms after we fight…"

"We're on bad terms right now though, and we've been fighting a lot lately." Alfred winced at the bitter tone in the other's voice. "You don't like me at all, do you?"

"I do n-!"

"You said so yourself too!" Arthur's voice rose over his. "You said… You said how you didn't like being handcuffed with me of all people and how it really sucks… That doesn't sound like someone who's on good terms with me…"

"Hey, that's not… that's not…" Alfred faltered before getting an idea. "Wait a second… is _that _what you've been acting weirdly about?" Arthur nodded.

"What else? I mean, I know you don't like me, but you really seemed to hate the idea of being with m-"

"I hate the idea of being _handcuffed _to you, there's a difference!" Alfred took a breath. "And didn't I just say that I don't _not_ like you?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "As I've said before, it's not like you're clear about it. Take that one time when you-"

"Still?" Alfred tried to keep his voice down. Even though he hadn't finished his sentence, Alfred knew what Arthur was going to say. "Oh no, we are _not _having this again. Really, it's been years already, and we just had a fight about it recently, just let it go!"

"No." Arthur met Alfred's eyes. "Because you actually meant that one."

Alfred was stunned. "Arthur, I-" He reached for the Arthur's hand and gently pulled the other towards him. He had intended to bring Arthur a little bit closer to him, but the other ended up falling. Alfred managed to catch him before he fell on the ground, falling flat on his butt with Arthur landing on his chest.

"Arthur, you okay?!" Alfred asked once he recovered, trying to look at the other's face. "You're not hurt, are you?!"

"Zzz…"

_Of course._ Alfred laughed silently as he stretched out his legs and leaned on his bed. He adjusted Arthur's position so that Arthur was lying on him. They ended up cuddling, one arm wrapped around Arthur's back to keep the other steady. _He falls asleep at the exact moment I try to tell him something important._ He looked at Arthur's sleeping face. Arthur looked like a child when he slept. _Perfect. Just perfect._

"You really are hopeless, aren't you Artie?" Alfred murmured as he gently stroked Arthur's hair with his free hand. "Simply hopeless…"

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 28_


	3. Gaming or Watching a Movie

World Academy W was a rather prestigious private school; it was basically a modern day Hogwarts and then some. Suffice to say, the school's campus housed many buildings, two of which were dorm buildings. Among the many rooms present in the dorm buildings, one of them was the common room, which differed slightly between the boy's and girl's dorms. The boy's common room was a simple yet stunning room. The room towered over them all, tall rectangular windows offering a spectacular view of the rest of the campus. Eggshell white walls surrounded the room, the pale color contrasted by the dark color of the wood that made up the ceiling and the floor. A hall on the side of the room led to the sleeping quarters, while another hall on the opposite side led out to the rest of the building. In the front of the room was a flat screen TV hung over the fireplace TV stand, the stand being filled to the brim with DVDs and the like. A curved black couch encircled a round glass coffee table in front of the TV, providing a place for the students to relax. To the back of the room were two mahogany tables, one of which was the one Arthur was currently occupying.

He was not alone.

"My Braviary's totally going to kick your ass!"

"Hey! Don't underestimate my Houndoom!"

Arthur groaned as he looked up from his papers. "Will you two buffoons just shut it already?! I'm trying to work here!"

The two looked at Arthur from where they sat. They were the only other people in the common room, but they raised a ruckus loud enough that it seemed like Arthur was in a concert.

"Come on Kirkland, lighten up!" Arthur scowled at the laughing teen. "It's a nice day, what the hell are you working for?"

"Yeah!" A familiar voice piped in. "And if you're going to work anywhere, why the common room?"

"Because I can," Arthur snapped at them. Indeed, it wasn't a smart decision to work in the common room of all places, especially on a Friday. If he really wanted to concentrate, then he would've gone to the library or the Student Council room or his room. He was only here because… "Just keep it down, will you? If I hear either of you two exclaim that the other cheated because they used a Lucario or a Blaziken or a Shedinja again, I swear I'll wring both of your necks."

"Actually it was a Garchomp, a Gyarados, and a Lilligant, but I'm surprised that you actually know Pokemon," Alfred remarked, slinging a hand over the couch to look back at Arthur. He was wearing the standard World Academy W uniform- a white shirt and plaid blue pants- along with his signature bomber jacket. Apparently, the jacket was a present from his pilot grandfather (who was said to have fought in the war), but it didn't change the fact that the jacket was largely associated with Alfred because of the sheer amount of times he had worn it.

"Yeah, who knew that such a tight-ass like Kirkland would ever know Pokemon?" Gilbert commented with a chortle. The other was a silver-haired, red-eyed, self-proclaimed "Prussian" who was the elder brother of the more composed Ludwig. Today, he wore the school "uniform", or at least, his version of it. While he did wear the standard pants, he wore a gray shirt with the words "Deutscher Orden" and a burgundy hooded jacket over that. Arthur gripped his pencil, ready to say something in retaliation, but Alfred beat him to the punch.

"Come on, he's not _that _much of a tight-ass." Gilbert just shrugged, losing interest in the topic, and the two returned back to their battle. Arthur flipped the next page of his textbook.

_So I wasn't imagining it… _He thought as he idly did his math homework. _He really is acting differently than before._

It was odd, really. Ever since last Sunday morning, Alfred had been acting differently. At first, Arthur had thought that it was because of the promise they had made to Matthew to be quiet, but come Monday and he was still the same. While he still teased and argued with Arthur, it was with a somewhat subdued manner. It was as if Alfred was actually minding what he said.

_Did something happen last Saturday night or something? _Arthur thought as he played with his pencil. That was odd as well. After Matthew had set them free, both boys had returned to their rooms and just passed the time their own ways, Alfred on his computer and Arthur with his book. He didn't know when exactly he had fallen asleep, but he had woken up tucked into his bed with his book on top of the nightstand. _I must have put it away sometime during the night or something…_ His memories of that night was somewhat foggy, and he could barely remember what had happened after Matthew had set them free. _But that must have been what had happened. After all, it's not like Alfred could have helped me. _Arthur thought as he put his homework back into his backpack. _He hates me._

Still, Arthur couldn't help but notice that something in Alfred had changed. While he was still annoying, it was like all those months of arguing had been wiped away. It was sort of like how things were before.

"I won!"

"Celebrate while you can Jones," Gilbert said as Alfred did a little victory dance. "My team's going to beat yours next week."

"That's what you always say."

"I will prevail!" Gilbert proclaimed as he stood up and pocketed his 3DS. "After all, the awesome me is much too awesome to constantly lose, right? Either way, I'll be seeing you. Seeing Eyebrows over there work reminds me that I have to catch up on a few things…" He continued to mutter the whole time as he left, saying something about "Mr. Vargas" and "history report" and "how the hell is he Feli's grandfather?!" Arthur leaned down to pick up his backpack a few minutes after Gilbert left.

"Are you leaving?" Arthur looked up to see Alfred looking at him, his 3DS now in his pocket.

"Yes. I'm done with my work, and it is rather late," Arthur replied cautiously. Why had Alfred stopped him?

"Late? Hardly. Come on, it's a Friday! I think you can afford some relaxation." Alfred gestured to the seat next to him. "Want to watch a movie or something?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Wordlessly, he made his way over to the couch as Alfred got up and walked to the TV.

"What do you want to watch?" Alfred asked as he leaned down to look through the DVDs. "Of course, I've watched everything on here, but I don't know if you have."

"It doesn't matter, just pick something," Arthur replied. _Is he actually being considerate? _This wasn't the first time Arthur had seen such an attitude from Alfred, but it was certainly out of place now. _Perhaps there's something past that front he always puts up for himself? Something much deeper than what he seems like?_

"Oh hey, I found the case for my _Assassin's Creed III_ game! Want to go play that instead?"

_I retract that last thought._

"Now why in the world…" Arthur drew a breath, trying to keep his irritation in check. "…would you think that I would like to play a game set in the American Revolutionary War?"

"Can't be that bad… I mean, I only got to the part where they learn how to hunt…" He heard Alfred mutter. Arthur widened his eyes in surprised. It was as if the boy had realized that it was a bad idea. _Is he actually displaying _tact_?!_

Alfred straightened up, interrupting Arthur's thoughts. "Well, I suppose I can just keep looking around for a movie… Say, do you like detective shows?"

"Alfred, you know I like Sherlock Holmes."

Alfred looked back at him and grinned. "Then you're going to love this."

'''''

"I knew it was him!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "That's not fair. You'd have to know at least some German to figure out who the culprit was…" He took a sidelong glance at the other. "Say, how did you know that his name meant 'morning star' in the first place?"

Alfred scoffed as he leaned back on the couch. "You saw me have one of my weekly Pokemon battles with Gilbert; I'd have to be deaf not to pick up at least _some_ German from him in the times we've been battling each other."

"I suppose…" Arthur leaned back as well. "Oh well, at least I got 'The Adventure of the Mad Tea Party' right."

Alfred pouted. "That's low; I've never even read _Alice in Wonderland_ or _Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There_! How could I have known what any of those clues meant?"

"Well, you should read more literature then."

Alfred laughed as he got up to select the next episode from his Kindle Fire. "Okay, after this next episode, we're done for today. I think it's almost 2 a.m."

"What?" Arthur took out his phone and looked at the time. "Will you look at that… Remind me never to watch Ellery Queen with you ever again," he said with a slight shake of his head. "Wasn't somebody supposed to go around and make sure everyone was asleep?"

"We shooed them away, remember?" Alfred sat back down beside him. "After we told him that we'd go to bed after one more episode."

"That was after we watched the second episode!"

"And now we finished episode thirteen!" Alfred stated happily. "Too bad there are only a few more episodes left… It's a nice series, right?"

"For an American creation, I suppose." Arthur crossed his arms and scowled, although a smile tugged at his lips.

"You can quit with the 'British-are-better-than-the-Americans' act, we know it's not true." Arthur pushed Alfred's arm lightly as the other laughed. "But wow… time really went by, didn't it? I guess it's true when they say that time flies when you have fun, huh?"

"I suppose so…" Arthur yawned. Alfred turned to him in a flash.

"Hey, you're not tired, are you?"

"Not in particular, no." Arthur saw Alfred visibly relax.

"Good, good... You tend to be more forgetful when you're really tired…" He let out a low chuckle. "And a lot crazier…"

"That's not true!" Arthur turned his eyes back onto the screen. "Name one time when I've acted crazy when I was sleepy."

"I'd rather not, it would take too long." He heard Alfred shuffle as he moved to face towards the screen as well. "But you have to admit, you do tend to get tired fast."

"Yes, but with all that junk food in my system, I doubt that I'll be able to get so much as a wink of sleep." Arthur lowered his chin to indicate the coke bottles and paper plates on top of the coffee table. "You're cleaning that up, you know."

"Alright."

Neither of them said anything else after that. Arthur tried to focus on the episode, but found that all of his attention was on Alfred. It wasn't until the end of the episode did they say a word.

"Aww, I was wrong in the end…" Alfred said as the credits rolled on. "How 'bout you? We didn't really discuss it like we normally do."

"I was wrong as well." Arthur yawned as Alfred stood up and started to pick up the trash on the coffee table. "That was… that was fun," he said once Alfred was done throwing away the trash.

"It was, wasn't it?" Alfred said as he shut down his Kindle Fire and started to unplug the things connecting it to the TV. "I was a bit worried since it was an old-timey show, but you seemed to have really liked it."

"It may be an old show, but it threw things at us that you don't find in media nowadays."

"True… Makes you wonder how it only had one season." Alfred picked up all of his stuff and started to walk away. "Well, that's that. I suppose this is good night Arthur."

"Just one moment." Alfred paused and looked back. "How come you... how come you're all nice all of a sudden?"

"Excuse me?"

"We haven't argued today."

"There was nothing to argue about."

"But that's just it." Arthur sat up and looked at Alfred directly. "Alfred, we've been fighting for a long while now, it makes sense if you're a bit hostile towards me, but now you're acting like we've been the best of pals this whole time."

"And?" Alfred furrowed his eyebrows. "If it's an argument you want, then we can have one, although I don't see the point of starting up a needless fi-"

"It's not that! It's…" Arthur searched for the right way to phrase his thoughts. "…It's like you're making an effort to be nice all of a sudden."

"Would you like me to not be nice to you?"

"Don't get me wrong, it's a nice change, it's just… why?" Arthur stood up. "Have I done something to make you act this way? Said anything, or…?"

"Nothing." Alfred turned away from him and started to head back to their room. His tone was casual. "Nothing at all."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 27_


	4. On a Date

He only wanted some peace and quiet. Isn't that what Friday afternoons are for? Rest after a hard week of school and homework and the glorious approach of a weekend? Sure he was diligent and studious, but even he wanted some rest after this week…

So when he entered the common room to find his brother and his roommate bickering with each other, Matthew Williams was not amused.

_I knew it wouldn't last, _he thought. _I just knew it._ For the past week or so, Alfred and Arthur had been rather cordial with each other… well, as cordial as you could get with two of the most quarrelsome people Matthew knew. While they did argue and annoy each other on an on-and-off basis, it was with a more guarded feel. There was probably something going on between the two, but Matthew had not questioned this change of attitude, opting out to just enjoy the decrease of noise. But now… _It was _way_ too good to be true._

Their words grew louder as Matthew walked closer to where they sat on the couch. "…You did not! There's no way you could have thought of that!" He heard Arthur say.

"You're just upset because I was better than you this time!"

"And you're just lying so that you can break my streak!"

Matthew sighed as he approached the couch, taking note of his brother's Kindle Fire on top of the coffee table. "Just what in the world are you two fighting about this time?"

"Matt!" Alfred turned around to face him, his eyes blazing. "If you had chosen the people who tampered with the evidence as the culprit, but then the death turned out to be a suicide, would that count as a victory?"

"Absolutely not!" Arthur glared daggers at the other teen. "A victory only counts if you had called the killer, like I did last episode!"

"For the last time, you were _technically _wrong on 'The Adventure of the Wary Witness'!" Alfred answered back. "It was technically that attorney guy or whatever he is who did it!"

"'Technically' my arse, I was right and you know it!"

Matthew didn't say a word as the two continued to volley arguments between each other. He simply thought back to the words Francis had spoken some time ago. _"Love is said to grow better in the face of adversity…" _He remembered dully, something in him starting to explode. _I have no idea if Francis had used that saying right, but these two certainly need some love at the moment._

"You know what?" The two turned silent as they towards Matthew, despite the fact that his voice had barely risen above a whisper. "Go on a date."

"Excuse me?" Matthew paid no heed to the concerned look on Alfred's face. He was much too tired to worry if he had gone mad.

"Go on a date," Matthew repeated. He looked down at the both of them, ignoring their stunned expressions. "Go on a date. You two. Now."

"Matthew…" Arthur started out slowly. "You realize that we're both males?"

Matthew scoffed. "Please, as if you're actually concerned about that. Arthur, I know that you don't give a damn about your sexuality. Alfred, I know that you don't even know a damn about sexuality." He cut their arguments off with a glare. "Look, just make things better already, okay? So go on a date."

"And if we don't?" Matthew met Alfred's challenging gaze coolly.

"Then I'll just donate all of your video games to charity and pour maple syrup on all your ice cream." Alfred made a choking sound. Arthur snickered.

"Ha!" Alfred glared at him. "Personally, I'm all for you bringing this insufferable Yank down a no-"

"And I'll tell Francis about that little 'costume' I found in your closet the other day." Arthur noticeably blanched as Alfred watched Arthur curiously.

"What costume?"

"None of your business Jones," Arthur said sharply before glaring at a smug Matthew. "Fine, I accept."

"Well I don-" Alfred bit his lip as he thought. Finally, he sighed. "Not cool bro. So not cool."

Matthew shrugged. At the moment, he really could care less of what they thought of him now. He had won himself some peace. "Well, what's holding you two up? Go on…" He sent them both a triumphant look. "…And have some fun, will you?"

''''''

"You know, when my brother said 'go on a date', I think that what he really meant was 'get out'."

"No shit Sherlock, really?"

Alfred kicked a pebble. They were at the vast patch of land in front of the boy's dorm building, the stout, square building off in the distance behind them. World Academy W could hardly be described simply as a 'large' place- the fact that the 'patch' of land they were walking on was at least a quarter of a park long said enough about it. They were walking on a concrete walkway lined with trees, grass surrounding both sides of the walkway. To their left, they could see some more trees, and if one craned their neck, the school itself. Faded orange sunlight surrounded the two as the sun began to set, producing a romantic aura. "Seriously Arthur, I think that he really meant to kick us out!"

"He succeeded then." An undoubtedly snide tone covered Arthur's words as he walked alongside Alfred. Like Alfred, the other still wore their school uniform, or at least, his version of it. He was wearing the blue World Academy W blazer and the plaid pants that went along with it, but with it he wore a tan sweater vest over a white dress shirt and a black tie. His arms were folded and his face was turned away from Alfred's. "Honestly Alfred, if you hadn't lied, we wouldn't have tried Matthew's temper."

"I didn't lie!" Alfred kicked another pebble. "I won fair and square, and that's that! …But the conclusion of that episode was rather unexpected, wasn't it?"

"Yes…" The sides of Arthur's mouth tugged upwards. "Just like the episode before it."

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Even though Alfred sounded angry, he couldn't help but smile as well. "So what are we going to do? We are on a 'date' after all."

"Don't even." Arthur's smile was wiped off his face in a flash. "That was just something to get us out."

"Well yeah, but we might as well go on one," Alfred said airily. "It would be a waste of time if Matthew asked us to go on a date and we didn't actually go on one…"

"As if I would date you." Arthur kicked a pebble violently.

"But I thought that you, quote-on-quote, 'don't give a damn about your sexuality'. I don't see what your problem would be," Alfred said casually, hoping that his voice hadn't betrayed his shock. _What's gotten into him? _He thought. _I thought that we've been getting along rather well lately… have I done something to upset him?_ Arthur scowled.

"I don't, but I _do _give a damn about the personalities of the people I date, and I'd certainly never go out with a prat like you."

"You make it sound as if you've _actually_ went out with someone before."

"That's rich, coming from you," Arthur snarled. "After all, you, quote-on-quote, 'don't even know a damn about sexuality'. Sexuality isn't a concern to you at all." He suddenly glared at Alfred. "Admit it; the only person you care about is yourself. You don't care for other people, so why should sexuality matter to you?"

_Where in the world did that come from?_ He hoped that his face didn't betray any emotion he was feeling. _Have I really done something to upset him? Either way, I'd best fix this while I can… _"Not true, I care about as much people as I have fingers." Alfred took out a hand and started to mock count on his fingers. "One is myself, two is my mother, and three is my brother." He took a sidelong glance at Arthur to see if he would catch the bait. Indeed, it looked as if Arthur knew that he was being baited and that he was currently having an internal battle on whether or not to call him out on it.

He lost.

"That's only three people, not four." Alfred's grin grew as Arthur rose for the bait.

"Do you want to know the rest?"

Arthur snorted. "N-no… It's not like it's going to be someone important anyways…" The tips of his ears were red. _Really now, _Alfred thought, _this is way too easy._

"You sure you don't want to know?"

"No."

"That's a real pity then."

"It is."

They continued to walk along the path, going farther and farther from their dorm building. Alfred hummed to himself, watching Arthur from his peripheral vision to see if he would give up. It wasn't until they started to walk back did Arthur finally give in.

"Err…"

"Hm?" Alfred stopped humming as Arthur finished his muttering. "Did you say something?"

Arthur blushed and avoided his eyes. "F-fourth… There's a fourth, right…?"

"Of course!" Alfred grinned as he saw Arthur lean a little bit forward. He had no doubt that he had the Englishman's full attention. "The fourth is someone _very _dear to me… In fact, it's hard to imagine a life without him!" His voice grew softer. "He's been with me ever since I was a little boy, and I probably would have turned out differently if he hadn't been there for me…" He didn't say anything after that.

"And?" Arthur's voice was quiet and… was it hopeful as well? Alfred couldn't tell. Even though Arthur was one of the most expressive people Alfred knew, it was actually pretty hard to understand him. "You just stopped, and…" His blush deepened. "N-not that I particularly care or anything! It's probably going to be someone stupid in the end…"

"You wound me, Art, he's not stupid at all!" Alfred stopped, prompting Arthur to stop as well. He looked at Arthur, the mood suddenly turning serious. "Do you want to know who they are?"

"If you insist, then who am I to stop you…?" Alfred didn't reply as Arthur continued to eye him warily. "Alfred…"

He took in a deep breath. "Do you _really _want to kn-?"

"Just get on with it!"

"Alright." Alfred shrugged. "Why, he's…" He saw Arthur lean a little bit more towards him, his expression rapt. "…my dog of course! You remember Lucky, right?"

There was a pause.

"Alfred…" Arthur's voice came out slow. "You are officially the most two-faced bastard I have ever met in my life." His eyes were filled with loathing. "Just what the hell is wrong with you?!"

That threw Alfred off. "What do you mean, 'what the hell is wrong with m-?'?"

"You know what I mean!" Arthur growled. "I can't figure you out at all! For a long time, I thought that I knew you like the back of my hand, but then you went ahead and changed that along with everything else! Then we start fighting on a near constant basis, but then you act nice to me all of a sudden, and now this!" He shook his head. "I've been trying to figure it all out, but I just can't!"

Alfred took a step back. "Arthur, what are you-?"

"Why are you doing any of this? What have I ever done to you to cause you to toy with my emotions like this?" Arthur stormed away before Alfred could reply.

It took Alfred a while before he broke out of his daze. "Hey, wait!" He started to run after Arthur, who, at the sound of his voice, started to walk faster. "He… hey wait a minute!" He started to sprint. "Arthur!" He grabbed Arthur's arm once he was close enough and jerked the other towards him. "Arthur, listen to me for a sec!"

"Alfred, can't you see that I'm done with you?!" Arthur struggled to get out of his grip. "Really, what the hell happened to you? What happened to the sweet kid I used to know? _He _never would have acted like this!"

Alfred scowled. "Just _listen _to me for once!" He pleaded. When the other didn't reply, he just went on. "Arthur, I told you before that I don't mean any of it!"

"Mean any of what?!" Arthur began to struggle more violently.

"Every mean thing I've said to you! I don't mean any of them at all!"

"Rubbish!" Alfred ducked to avoid Arthur's hit. "You do mean them and you know it!"

"It might be _somewhat_ truthful, but I don't _really_ mean it! I told you before that I don't!"

"You never told me that at all!"

"I have! You just don't remember it!" Alfred took in a deep breath to calm himself. It wouldn't help if Alfred exploded as well. "Arthur, I haven't changed at all. I'm still the same person you grew up with."

"You're a completely different person than before."

"Only because you want me to be," Alfred muttered under his breath. In a louder voice, he said, "Look, you didn't let me finish… There are five fingers in a hand, right?"

"Technically, the thumb doesn't co-"

"Shut up." Arthur glared at him as Alfred continued on. "Funny you should mention the thumb though… You never asked for the fifth person, and they're the thumb."

"You only said that you cared about as much people as you do fingers, and it's not really clear whether or not the thumb is a finger." Despite his brusque tone, Alfred knew that he had Arthur's attention again when the other stopped struggling.

"So technical, you are…" Alfred sighed. "But to make things clear, there are five people I care about. I was actually getting on to the fifth person before you interrupted me."

"What difference does a fifth person make?"

"All the difference in the world." Alfred spun him around so that they were facing each other. "Look Arthur, remember everything I said for the fourth person? I mean it tenfold for the fifth. Sure my dog's important to me and all, but the fifth is the one who keeps me together. Like how it is with the thumb, if you took away the fifth person, then I wouldn't be able to function properly." He gripped Arthur tighter. "The fifth person is everything to me."

They stood like that for a while, Alfred gripping Arthur and Arthur not saying a word. The next time Arthur spoke, his voice was quiet. "Who's the fifth then?"

"Who do you think it is?"

Neither of them said anything after that. Finally, Arthur broke out of Alfred's grip. He turned his back on him and stalked off without a sound. Cold dread filled Alfred's gut.

"Arthur?"

Arthur didn't look back.

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 26_


	5. Kissing

_Nicolae = Romania_

* * *

"You two's relationship is like an emotional roller coaster on steroids."

"I believe that there are better phrases to describe their relationship."

"You're right. The emotional roller coaster on steroids would be Lovino and Antonio. Arthur and Alfred are more like an emotional RPG with cannons."

"Will you two quit putting labels on my and Alfred's non-existent relationship?" Arthur glowered over his book at his two friends. "You're making it sound like we're a belligerent couple."

They were at the massive library of the school. Rows and rows of bookcases surrounded them, magnificent paintings barely seen above them. Chandeliers were found on top of every other library table, their light illuminating the alternating white and bronze of the paint and wood on the walls and the shiny material of the floor. This was one of Arthur's favorite places and was often a place for him to escape.

Unfortunately, he could not escape from his friends.

"Are you insinuating that you aren't?" Asked Nicolae, who sat across from Arthur and to his right. Nicolae was a shaggy, strawberry blonde Romanian with red eyes and rather sharp teeth. He wore an unusual tan and dark brown jacket, one of the few additions he had added to his uniform. A miniscule top hat adorned the right side of his head, somehow managing to stay there without falling off. His tone was light and teasing as he spoke. "Because if you are, then I swear, you're as bad as Lovino."

"We should not try Arthur's temper at the moment," Kiku, another one of Arthur's few friends, said before Arthur could reply. He was a short and slim Japanese teen with black hair, his bangs cut evenly. Unlike most students, he had not tampered with his school uniform, and was wearing the standard blue blazer (his buttoned up) and plaid pants. His brown eyes were calm and showed no emotion. "It's obvious that his current situation is troubling him."

"It's not troubling me at all!" Both of his friends just looked at him. Arthur blushed, but he stood his ground. "It's not! …And we're not a couple!"

"You know, I bet that we could make a good teen drama from your life," Nicolae said airily. "It would probably make good money too. I mean, people are only interested if there's an overdose of angst, right? Why, we'd make millions!"

"This isn't funny!" Arthur snapped. "If this is what I get for telling you guys what goes on in my life, I might as well not do it."

"We are only concerned… Also, Nicolae would have heard about it even if you hadn't told him," Kiku reasoned. "It is only for the best that you told us yourself."

"Yeah! And since you told us, we can help you now!" Nicolae beamed. "Although I can't believe that you guys actually managed to argue for three months straight… But then again, it's you two, so it makes sense!"

"Such a brilliant source of help, you are." Arthur closed his book, deciding that he wouldn't be able to concentrate. "But honestly, I don't understand that boy! One moment he acts as if we're mortal enemies, then the next we're the best of friends. It's maddening!"

"You know, he's really only like that to you," Nicolae said. "To everyone else, he's an immature hero-lover who can't read the atmosphere for the world. To you, he suddenly becomes as complex as chess."

"The same applies to you," Kiku added. "You act as differently around Alfred as much as Alfred acts differently around you. In a way, it shows how close you two truly are. Despite your fights, you two possess traits that complement the other. While you two may not see eye-to-eye, you two stand back-to-back."

"Good one Kiku."

"Thank you Nicolae."

"If you will…" Arthur struggled to keep his composure. "I'll go back to reading my book."

"Oh no you aren't." Nicolae snatched his book away before Arthur could react. "We need to go resolve this little problem you have with your boyfriend first."

"It's not a little problem!" Pause. "And he's not my boyfriend!" Arthur seethed under Nicolae's smug grin. Before he could say anything though, Kiku spoke.

"That may be, but you and Alfred are close friends. It must be affecting you both to leave things as it is."

"Nonsense, we've been doing fine these past few weeks." Arthur waved away the other's concern, but he couldn't help but feel a prickle of guilt. For the past few weeks, Arthur had been avoiding the other as much as he could. While neither of the two seemed to be any different to others, it was overly awkward at the rare times the two had to interact with each other. Whenever they spoke to each other, there always seemed to be an undercurrent of hurt laced into their words. It was hard to even look at Alfred without wanting to either hit him or interrogate him. It certainly didn't help that they were roommates. "I'm sure that everything's fine."

"Is it really?" Nicolae's tone was casual, but even Arthur could hear the underlying exasperation in it. "Because Alfred's been in a horrible mood these days. Sure it helps with sports, but it's murder trying to talk to him for anything, even for things like picking up a pencil." He shuddered, as if he was remembering something unpleasant. "I bet that _he_ doesn't think that things are fine the way it is now."

"I doubt that's true." Some part of Arthur wanted to ignore Nicolae, to spite Alfred by letting him suffer like that, but something in Arthur spoke louder than that little part of him. Whatever he has against Alfred, he cared enough about him to worry for his happiness. "He hates me, so there's no way he would be that affected by that fight we had," he added, remembering their little 'date'.

"Arthur…" Kiku's voice was patient. "You and Alfred may have a rocky relationship, but if there's one thing I know, it's that Alfred, for all that he is, does not hate you."

Arthur didn't reply. He simply took back his book from Nicolae (who promptly protested) and started to read again.

''''''

It was late when Arthur returned to his room. The library had closed much earlier, but Arthur had opted out to take a walk before he went back to his room. He had needed some time to think before he had to face Alfred.

He opened the door to see Alfred sprawled on top of his bed, his laptop on his lap. He still had his uniform on, making Arthur wonder if he either forgot to change or if he simply didn't care. Alfred barely took note of Arthur as he stepped in.

"Alfred," Arthur said curtly before thinking back on it. His voice became gentler the next time he spoke. "Alfred."

"Arthur." The other closed his laptop and turned to face him. "Are we done confirming each other's name? I'm pretty sure that I know that my name's Alfred." Despite his cheek, he sounded as if he wanted to say something else.

"And I'm sure that I know that my name's Arthur." To Alfred's obvious surprise, Arthur sat down right next to him. "Do you have a minute?"

"I don't know, do I?" Still, Alfred sat up a little bit straighter. "Shoot."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "I'll never understand the way you speak… If I hadn't known better, I would've thought that you wanted me to shoot you…"

Alfred chuckled. "You could never shoot me."

"What makes you say that?"

"I just do."

"What if I were in a situation where it would be better to do so?"

"You still wouldn't."

"Sure I wouldn't, but maybe if-" Arthur bit his lip. He was getting off-track, and it was all Alfred's fault. "How do you do this?" He asked.

"Do what?"

"Pull me in like that." Arthur tried to hide the frustration in his voice, to no avail. "I've been avoiding you and have been mad at you for the past few weeks, but when I actually try to talk to you, you make it seem like nothing's changed in the slightest."

"Not true." Alfred put his laptop on top of the nightstand. "Can't you tell that I'm annoyed right now? And it's all your fault."

Arthur instantly scowled. "Excuse me for ruining your mood with my prese-"

"That's the thing." Alfred turned to him. "Arthur, you always jump to conclusions before you get the full explanation. You try to understand the situation, but more often than not, you have a tendency to jump straight into a conclusion that may or may not be true."

"So you admit to toying with my emotions?"

"When did I ever say that?" Alfred furrowed his eyebrows. "As much as I enjoy teasing you, I don't like hurting you."

Arthur let out a derisive snort. "You're a bit too late on that. Whether you mean it or not, your words always find a way to hurt me."

"It's not like you left me any choice." Alfred shook his head. "Arthur, what's this all about? Why'd you come talk to me?"

Arthur bit back on a sharp retort. "I just wanted to talk to you about some things."

"Things like what?"

He blinked. What _had _he wanted to talk to Alfred about? All he knew was that he just needed to. "I don't really know."

"You don't?" Alfred's voice was filled with disbelief. "Allow me to pick a topic then: how come you exploded on me a few weeks ago? I thought that we were getting along rather well given the recent events…"

"We were, it's just…" Arthur sighed. "Alfred, you confuse me like no other. It surprised me as well that I exploded at you then, but…" He bit his lip and said no more, hoping that Alfred would just drop the subject. Of course, Alfred being Alfred, he just had to know."

"But what?"

"You…" Against his will, Arthur blushed. "That finger thing… when you said those things… a-and then the fourth…"

"What about him?"

"I-I…" His blush deepened as Alfred continued to wait for his answer. Oh how Arthur wished that Alfred would just get the clue already. "W-well, I know that we weren't really on good terms, but I thought that I at least meant something to you, so how else do you think I would react when you said that it was Lucky you cared about and not me!" He spoke quickly, hoping and dreading with all his heart that Alfred had not heard a word that he had said. Arthur slapped a palm on his forehead once he was done. "Hell, I sound like a high school girl."

"There's so much I can say to that, but what's there to say?" To Arthur's surprise, Alfred didn't make fun of him. "I find that words are useless things, so why say anything?"

"Hey!" Arthur frowned, forgetting what he had just revealed to Alfred. "As a literature freak and a beginner writer, I take offense to that!"

"It's true though. Words were created to describe the indescribable, right? To communicate and to name, right? Well, I find that words are only labels and as we all know, labels can be inaccurate or wrong. It's why actions are better in my opinion." Alfred met Arthur's eyes. "They aren't labels."

Arthur blinked. "You're more insightful than you seem… But I still prefer words. They may be inaccurate and wrong, but I find that they are beautiful things nonetheless. It's the only way we humans can express ourselves properly."

"Actions are expressive," Alfred countered.

"Actions can be ineffective."

"Still better than words."

"You can't prove that."

"There's a saying that actions are better than words."

"Yet that saying requires the use of words."

"You know what?" Alfred's blue eyes were alight with laughter. "We're getting nowhere."

"And whose fault is that?" Arthur resisted the urge to grin. _Sometimes,_ he thought, _I really hate how I can't actually hate him._ "Let's just agree that they're equal, words and actions."

"I have a better idea." Though Alfred still sounded playful, he seemed serious. "Why don't I prove to you that actions are better than words?"

Arthur thought for a moment. "Alright, you can try. Keep in mind, though, that if you do anything to hurt me, I'll be heavily inclined to punch you."

Alfred chuckled. "Noted… Now close your eyes, will you?"

Arthur did so in a heartbeat. "Okay, but I honestly don't see why I have to close my eyes. Aren't I supposed to see whatever you're doing-?"

Evidently not.

'Surprised' was hardly what went on inside him when Alfred pressed his lips against his. The kiss only lasted a second or two, but it was enough. Arthur opened his eyes once the kiss was over, surprised to see that Alfred was also blushing.

"Do I win?" Alfred asked automatically.

Arthur ignored him. He could only think to say one thing: "We messed up the order of things, didn't we?"

Alfred grinned. "Order? Arthur, I think that you've noticed that with us, there is no order."

"Then what should we do?" Arthur asked without really knowing why. Alfred's grin grew wider.

"Why, we start over of course."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 25_


	6. Wearing Each Other's Clothes

"So you guys are close enough to trade clothes with one another?"

"_No_, that was just a mistake."

"It's worth mentioning, though, that his clothes suit you well."

Arthur sighed. He and his friends were walking along the brightly lit marble halls of the school, all of them on their way to their third period class, which all of them shared. The hallway ceiling was intricately designed, complementing the simple orb-shaped lamps. Tall windows with graceful arcs were on their right, the windows' frames also intricately designed. To their left were stunning mahogany doors, all of which were closed at the moment, neither of which their destination. They walked at a brisk pace, Nicolae on Arthur's left and Kiku on Arthur's right. "I have no idea if I should be flattered or insulted at that… Either way, it certainly is a bit weird to be wearing his clothes…"

For the thousandth time today, Arthur began to feel conscious of the fact that the uniform he was wearing was slightly bigger than normal- which it was, since he was wearing Alfred's uniform. Both he and Alfred had woken up late, and in Arthur's rush to get ready on time, he had accidentally taken Alfred's clothes without realizing it. In fact, he hadn't realized that he had been wearing Alfred's clothes until Nicolae had pointed it out when they passed each other in the hallway before first period. By then, it was too late to search for Alfred since first period was going to start, so he had been wearing his clothes ever since then. "Honestly, how could I not notice that I had taken the boy's clothes?" He drew Alfred's jacket closer to him. "This is embarrassing…"

"Didn't Kiku just say that it suited you?" Arthur scowled at Nicolae, who just grinned. "And quite frankly, I agree. You know, you should really wear your boyfriend's clothes more frequently."

"He is _not_ my boyfriend."

"Keep telling yourself that kid."

"If I may…" Kiku started out slowly before Arthur could say something in retaliation. "I could just get you some clothes to wear from the drama room. I'm sure that somewhere in there, there are some spare uniforms."

"I appreciate the offer Kiku, but…" Arthur trailed off. He didn't want to admit that he didn't mind wearing Alfred's clothes, especially his bomber jacket. Alfred never let anyone wear his prized bomber jacket and even though he hadn't been given permission to wear it, wearing the jacket somehow reassured Arthur that Alfred did care for him.

Although in hindsight, Alfred was probably going to kill him once they found each other.

_I'll have to apologize to him once I see him, _Arthur thought. _If I'm not killed first though. He barely lets anyone touch this jacket, let alone wear it. _He bit his lip, thinking of how much Alfred prized his jacket. _I'm dead, aren't I?_

"Oi, Arthur!" Arthur turned to see Nicolae waving a hand in front of him. "Earth to Arthur? You shouldn't zone out like that. Zoning out is never something positive. You might miss something important that way."

"Sorry, my mind's distracted at the moment." Arthur sighed again. "The sooner I find Alfred, the better...Too bad I don't have any classes with him. It would've made things much easier."

"You could always try at lunch," Kiku suggested. "He always eats lunch in the cafeteria, does he not?"

"True…" _Do I really have to go to the cafeteria though? There would be so much people there…_ Arthur hoped that Francis wouldn't see him in Alfred's clothes. If Francis had so much of a glimpse of him, he'd make fun of him for days._ Hopefully, I'll have changed back into my clothes by the time I have to see him in the Student Council room. _ "Ugh, this is what I get for sleeping in because of a book… Alfred's going to kill me for wearing his jacket…"

"I doubt it. I mean, you guys have been getting along super well lately, right? I'm sure he'll forgive you!" Nicolae said. "Although I'm still surprised that you guys managed to make up so quickly… I guess that's the power of love, right?"

"What are you talking about? It took weeks before Alfred and I made up… And what the hell do you mean, the 'power of love'?"

"You know, you two are like seesaws." Nicolae ignored Arthur, much to his annoyance. "You guys go from one extreme to the next."

"That's not…" Arthur sucked in a breath. As much as he hated to say it, Nicolae was right. "We're almost late to class, let's just go. I just want lunch to come already so that I can look for Alfred." _And hope he doesn't kill me._

"That reminds me, I have a favor to ask of you and Alfred. You see, my mother makes clothes for a living, and a friend of hers has a daughter who is a fan of this show and..." Arthur barely paid any attention to Kiku as he spoke. His mind was still focused on Alfred.

_I hope he doesn't kill me… We just decided to start over too…_ Worry began to cloud Arthur's mind. _As much as I want to wipe the slate clean, this mistake of mine might lead us all the way back to how we were…_

"…And you are around the right size. As for the other character, there are others that are taller than Alfred, but I feel that only he would agree, so if you can ask him for me…"

His mind started to wander back to the night they had made up, which ended up wandering to a certain event of that night. _I wonder why he did that…_ Neither of them had spoken of the kiss, but Arthur couldn't help but think about it almost every day. _He may not hate me, but I doubt that he likes me enough to actually want to kiss me… Perhaps he just really wanted to win? But what exactly was he trying to tell me when he kissed me…? Unless I'm mistaken, he had wanted to prove to me that actions were more expressive than words… It can't possibly be that he…_

"…So do you agree?"

"Huh?" Arthur snapped out of his thoughts to see both Nicolae and Kiku watching him inquisitively. "Oh yeah, sure." _ No, of course not. Even though he loathes the idea, we're too much like brothers for that to be true._

"Ah, so you'll do it?" Kiku broke into a rare smile. "Thank you. I'll be sure to repay you two when I can, granted if you can get Alfred to agree first. I'll text you when I'll come over."

"What are you-?" The minute bell rang, cutting off Arthur's question. Arthur swore violently under his breath. "Forget it, let's just go!"

''''''

Arthur stood still, not moving an inch. He was alone, his back pressed against the corner of the wall, and it was lunchtime. If he rounded the corner, he would soon be at the door of the cafeteria where Alfred hopefully was. _Well, I better get this over with already. _For some reason though, Arthur could not force himself to move.

_What is wrong with me?_ He crouched down, his hands holding both sides of his head. _Stop acting like a schoolgirl and go return his clothes already! _Still, some part in Arthur didn't want to part with Alfred's jacket. He found the jacket oddly comforting and despite having only worn it for a few hours, had become rather fond of it. _I wish Alfred would just magically appear so that things can be easier… _

"Arthur, is that you?"

_Well speak of the devil._

Arthur looked up to see Alfred standing over him, the other teen wearing Arthur's uniform. He looked cross. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

"Alfred, I…" Arthur hesitated. Alfred looked _really _cross. "Um, I…"

"Honestly, do you know how troublesome this whole thing is?" Arthur went on as if Arthur had not spoken. "I swear, you just had to run off this morning, didn't you?"

"I…"

"Really Arthur, couldn't you have at least waited for a few minutes? I mean, I know we were in a rush and all, but couldn't you have at least waited until I was done showering too? I could've noticed your mistake then! This whole day has been torturous for me because you couldn't wait!"

"I'm sorry," Arthur said quickly. "Look, let's just go switch back already, alright?"

"Agreed." Alfred stuck out his hand. Arthur took it, allowing the other to pull him up. "Just how do you live with your clothes, Artie? I know we're only two centimeters apart, but your clothes are super small! How in the world can you fit in this? It's maddening!" He kept his hold on Arthur's hand as he started to drag the other through the hall. "I think there's a bathroom nearby… Let's switch clothes quickly, okay? Oh, but feel free to keep wearing my jacket though. It suits you."

"Wait, what?" Arthur abruptly stopped, causing Alfred to jerk back. "You're letting me wear your jacket? But you love this jacket!"

"Yeah." Alfred looked at him as if he had just stated the obvious, which admittedly, he had. "That's why I'm letting you wear it."

"That doesn't make any sense." Arthur shook his head. "Alfred, you love this jacket to pieces. It would probably replace me as the thumb if it was a person. You can't seriously be letting me wear it."

"For starters, there are two things wrong with what you've just said." Alfred let go of his hand and started to count. "One, nothing can ever replace your place as the thumb. Two, I seriously am letting you wear my jacket. So can we go now? Your clothes are just way too small for my comfort…"

"Alfred." Arthur's tone held both exasperation and confusion. "As much as I like this jacket, I can't possibly wear it. It's just… it's your prized possession. There's nothing you love more than this jacket."

"Not true." Alfred suddenly laughed. "I've been saying that a lot lately, haven't I? Arthur, you're one of the smartest people I know, but sometimes you can't see the obvious."

"That should be my line!" Arthur argued. "Look, we're not nearly as close as we had been before. I know that we're starting anew, but we've fought too much for me to be able to wear this jacket with your blessing. It's simply unfathomable that you would let someone you dislike wear your prized jacket so easily!"

"Arthur." Alfred's voice held all the exasperation in the world. "Just what in the world did that kiss mean to you?"

Arthur blushed at the memory. "That you don't hate me?"

"That's true, but…" Alfred shook his head. "Never mind. Just wear it for me, alright?"

"Are you sure Al?"

"I don't know. Do you like the jacket?" Arthur hesitated at the strange question.

"It's a wonderful jacket, but Alfred, I-"

"Wear it," Alfred said with a note of finality in his voice. "Because I'm giving it to you."

"What?!" Arthur took a step back. "Alfred, that's too much!" The other shrugged.

"I haven't won yet, so I just have to keep at it, don't I?" He grabbed Arthur's hand again and started to lead him through the hall. "Now let's just go already. Wearing your clothes is murder."

"Alfred, I-"

"Will you just stop already? You can't change my mind." Alfred's pace increased. "It's yours and that's that, so be sure to wear it every day, okay?"

Arthur blushed. "Alfred, that's a bit too much."

"Every other day then," he answered without missing a beat. "Either way, I want you to keep on wearing my… _your _jacket until you understand what I'm trying to tell you."

"Alfred…" The other looked back and glared at Arthur. Arthur sighed. "Fine, although I haven't the foggiest idea what you're trying to tell me."

"Don't worry." Alfred turned back ahead. "It'll all be crystal clear someday. I'll make sure of it."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 24_


	7. Cosplaying

_Chapter 6 has been ever-so-slightly edited (all the chapters have been edited before, but chapter 6 is the only one so far to have had edits that changed the meaning of a sentence). Also, I apologize for my attempts to describe cosplay. Anyways, enjoy!_

* * *

He was in one of the dressing rooms behind the school's stage, racks of various costumes surrounding him. It was a simple room, white walls and wooden floors, with dressers lined up on one side. He stood in front of a body-length mirror near the side. _Well,_ he thought, bringing up a sleeve to inspect it. _It could be worse._

Alfred sighed as he twisted to inspect the rest of the outfit. Apparently, Arthur had promised Kiku that both he and Alfred would help him finish a request he received from the daughter of a friend of Kiku's mother. The girl was apparently a fan of some show and had asked Kiku's mother to make her some clothes from the show... "cosplay", was what Kiku called it, although he said that the girl didn't plan on actually wearing it but just wanted to collect it. Kiku's mother had no idea what the girl was talking about, so she had asked Kiku to do it instead. However, Kiku needed someone as a model for the clothes, so he had asked Arthur and Alfred… well, he asked Arthur. Nonetheless, they were a part of it.

Like all of Kiku's creations, the clothes were impeccable, but that wasn't what was troubling Alfred.

_Arthur just _had_ to blindly promise Kiku, didn't he_? Alfred sighed again. He still remembered how confused they were when Kiku had asked to take their measurements, and how flustered Arthur had been when he realized that he had promised Kiku that he would help him. _And he had to drag me into it as well... I mean, I don't particularly mind, but I wish that he didn't always have to keep to his word..._ Still, Alfred couldn't bring himself to resent Arthur... Not too much at least. _But I have to say, _he thought as he twisted to the side. _I look good._

Alfred grinned as he looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a snapped-up collar and a white single-breasted waistcoat. He also wore a white and yellow-lined tailcoat with an exaggerated peak lapel, the coat's insides a ruby red color with intricate designs. The coat was single-breasted with four buttons, the buttons shaped as the different suits of playing cards; from top-to-bottom, the buttons were shaped as a yellow diamond, green club, red heart, and then a blue spade. The sleeves of the coat were cuffed in yellow and were held together by two buttons each; on the right arm, the buttons were in the shape of a diamond and a club, whereas the left sleeve had a spade and heart button. A poufy black bow with green accents was tied around his neck, and despite its rather large size, did not seem girly in the least. His hands were gloved in white and in his left hand was a small, straight cane with a white jewel-like thing on the top with a top hat decorated with a golden wing on top of that. He had on black trousers and over that, he wore knee-long white socks and black shoes that were bound with a tiny red belt with a buckle. To top it all off, he was wearing a large top hat that had the symbols of the four suits decorated around the top as well as roses and cards decorated around the brim.

Alfred forgot the name of the character he was cosplaying, but from the looks of it, he was a very fancy Mad Hatter.

_I wonder what Arthur looks like?_ Alfred thought absentmindedly. Kiku hadn't showed them their outfits at all during the creation process. Even when he was giving the clothes to them to wear, they had been wrapped as packages. _Speaking of Arthur…_

Alfred was just about ready to explode. Despite all of his efforts, Arthur refused to see what Alfred was trying to tell him. _Just why can't he move on already? Worse yet, he's still sore about that moment years ago… And sore about that fight we had about it a few months ago…_ Alfred frowned. _I'd straight-up tell him if I could, but I feel that he wouldn't believe me, or worse, be terribly conflicted by it._ Alfred sighed. He'd been doing a lot of that lately. _Honestly…_

"Alfred?" He turned to see Kiku standing near the door. "Do the clothes fit you? I know that you didn't have to wear it, but I wanted to see how they would look like…"

"Don't worry, it's fine!" Alfred put on a smile, glad for the distraction. "As for the clothes, they're perfect!" Kiku smiled.

"That's a relief… By the way, I apologize for asking you two to do this. You were both surprised when I brought it up."

"I told you already, it's fine." Alfred waved off his apology. "Heroes help those in need, right? Although it was Arthur you had asked first… Speaking of which, where is he? He hasn't been done for a long time, and I think that I've been done for almost a half hour or so."

"About him…" Kiku looked vaguely uncomfortable. "It appears that he does not wish to leave his dressing room. I understand why he wouldn't, but I really would like to see the whole thing on a person."

"True, true." Alfred quickly moved past him. "Just tell me where he is and I'll work on getting him to open that door!"

"You don't have to…" Kiku faltered off, presumably considering Alfred's offer. "If it does not bother you, then all right. Do you mind going alone though? I left my cell phone in my room, and I would quite like to tell my mother that I finished her request."

"I don't mind!" They closed the door to enter into a wide hallway. "Just tell me where he is and then you can go!"

"He should be at the end of the hall and to your right," Kiku said as he pointed towards the general direction of where Arthur was. "Thank you again for the help Alfred."

"No problem, you can just leave it to me!" Kiku nodded in both acknowledgement and gratitude before hurried off. After he disappeared from sight, Alfred strode on towards Arthur's room.

"Arthur!" He called out once he was in front of the door. He grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it, and not to his surprise, found that it was locked. "Hey Arthur, open up!"

"Alfred!" A loud 'thud' came from the other side. "Don't you dare come in here!"

_That's Plan A gone_, Alfred smiled as he started to step back. _Time for Plan B._

He kicked down the door.

"I'm gonna have to pay for that, aren't I?" Alfred said as he stepped over it. "Oh well, it was creaky anyway, plus it was pretty ol-" His jaw dropped.

_What…_ Alfred gulped. _What did I ever do to deserve this?_

Arthur was flat on the floor, apparently having fallen. He was wearing a black leather vest with two aesthetic zippers on the front, the material short enough to reveal a good amount of his midriff. Along with that, he wore a black leather skirt that had three aesthetic zippers on the left side of it and a smirking cat head design and a white X on the bottom right side. Under the skirt, he had on black leather shorts that were barely longer than the skirt itself. On his right arm, he wore a short fingerless glove with a hot pink collar fastened at the top. He had on a longer glove on his left arm, which also had a hot pink collar fastened around the top of it. An ostentatious, striped, fuchsia boa was hung around Arthur's neck and arms, some medals pinned at the top of it. Chains were found hanging from both the collars on his gloves, from a clamp at the top of his shorts, and from the collar Arthur wore around his neck, all chains leading to a (fake) handgun. Pink and black striped socks covered his legs from the knee under, his feet covered by white shoes. Finishing the look, Arthur had on cat ears and a cat tail, both of which were pierced. He looked up at Alfred, his face a crimson red.

It was at times like these were Alfred regretted being a hormonal teenage boy.

"Dammit Alfred, I told you not to come in!" Alfred tried to tear his eyes off from Arthur, but found that he couldn't look away. "Ugh, just help me up already!"

Mechanically, Alfred went to him and stuck out his hand. He hoped with all his heart that he wasn't beet red, especially when Arthur grabbed his hand. He pulled the other up.

"Thanks." Arthur let go and started to brush the dust off of him. "Honestly, of all the characters to be, I just had to be the one wearing pink…"

"You're like the Cheshire Cat, right?" Alfred asked, looking around to see if he could focus on anything but Arthur. He was failing spectacularly at that.

"Someone like that, yeah. Apparently, the show is based off of Alice in Wonderland…" Arthur scowled. "Although I don't remember the original Cheshire Cat wearing anything like this…"

"He doesn't wear anything at all actually," Alfred said without thinking. Immediately, he blushed. "W-wait, I didn't mean it like that! I-it's not like I want you to _not_ wear anything or something!" More blood rushed to his face. "W-wait, no, I mean-!"

"Alfred, are you okay?" He stiffened when Arthur grabbed the side of his face. He made Alfred face him. "You're a bit red, and your face is all hot… You're not sick, are you?"

_Yes, but not in the way you're asking._ "I'm fine, d-don't worry about it!" Arthur looked unconvinced. Alfred gulped again. _Change the subject, change the subject, change the subject-!_ "S-so! Uh…"

"I apologize for dragging you into this." Arthur walked back and leaned against a dresser. He appeared to have reached some sort of conclusion. "It's a bit uncomfortable, isn't it?"

"Not really, mine's fine… But yeah, I am a bit uncomfortable." _Because of you. _"How about you?"

"What do you think?" Arthur rolled his eyes. "I shouldn't have agreed in the first place, but I couldn't let Kiku down, now could I?"

"Now that you mention it, why did you agree? This doesn't sound like something you'd agree to." Arthur blushed.

"I wasn't paying attention when he had asked me…" He mumbled. "I… I had other things in mind at that time."

"Like what?" Arthur's blush deepened. Because of his clothes, Alfred could see that his whole body had turned red. _Why am I being punished like this?_ He thought, resisting any urges he had.

"Err… Returning your jacket for one thing… and you…" It was a good thing Arthur had decided to look down just then. That way, he couldn't have seen the look on Alfred's face.

"Sp… Speaking of which…" Alfred found it hard to speak. "H-how's the jacket holding up? Have you been taking good care of her?"

"Of course I've been!" Even though he was trying to sound indignant, it really didn't work when he was blushing to the tips of his ears. "How could I not? You trusted me with something you love; I wouldn't forgive myself if anything happened to it!"

"Have you been wearing it every day?"

"I wouldn't go that far, so no." Alfred didn't call Arthur out on his lie. He had seen Arthur put his jacket in his bag at times when he thought Alfred wasn't looking, and he knew that Arthur wore the jacket quite frequently if Nicolae was to be believed. _I wish he would tell me that himself though… _He glanced at Arthur. _ Better yet, I wish he would wear it more often. _ Still, at least he had taken Alfred's words seriously. That had to be progress, right?

"By the way, you…" Arthur broke Alfred out of his thoughts. "You look good in that…"

_This is quite possibly the cruelest thing I've ever had to face in my life, _Alfred thought as he stared at Arthur, who was both avoiding his eyes and was rapidly growing redder by the second. _I thought that it was cruel enough that I was roommates with him. I thought that it was cruel enough that sometimes, we ended up showering at the same time. I thought it was cruel enough that he doesn't understand what I've been trying to tell him. But no, the universe just had to decide that I had to endure a blushing Arthur. A blushing, scantily-clad, cat boy Arthur._

_ The world officially hates me._

"You… You do too Art." Alfred hoped that Arthur hadn't notice how thick his voice was. Arthur scoffed.

"Please, it's embarrassing enough as is."

"Really? 'Cause you don't seem that embarrassed." This time, Arthur snorted.

"Alfred, you try wearing this without feeling shame. I mean, have you noticed how much skin I'm showing right now?"

_I have. I _definitely_ have. _"Still, you're acting pretty calm for someone wearing so little-" His voice cracked. "-so little clothes."

"That's because it's you." Arthur looked at Alfred blankly. "It shouldn't matter how much skin I show you. I mean, it doesn't change the fact that it's embarrassing as hell, but I know that you wouldn't do anything." He suddenly laughed. "Especially since you don't even think about that stuff anyways! You're as pure as it gets! And even if you did," Arthur added. "It definitely wouldn't be towards me."

Alfred was saved from responding by Kiku's appearance. Kiku said something, but Alfred didn't really hear what he had said. After a while, Alfred abruptly left, ignoring the calls of the other two as he stalked off down the hall.

_Yup…_ He thought as he made his way back to his dressing room. _The world _definitely _hates me._

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 23_

_P.S. Both Alfred and Arthur are characters from __ハートの国のアリス__/Heart no Kuni no Alice/ Alice in the Country of Hearts. Alfred is Blood Dupre and Arthur is Boris Airay (bonus points to those who get what I did here)_


	8. Shopping

World Academy W was found in a small, quaint city. It was neither a big city nor was it a town that you'd be hard-pressed to find on the map. Instead, World Academy W was found in an average city, one like all the others, except maybe with a lot more greenery.

Like all the others, this city had stores. Like all the other cities with stores, the city had video game stores.

Why did there have to be video game stores.

"Dude, is that _BioShock Infinite_?! I totally have to buy it!"

Arthur rolled his eyes as he watched Alfred pick up the cover from where it was on the rack. They were in a nearby GameStop, having planned to spend their day video game shopping. The GameStop they were in was of a medium size, maybe even large. The walls were painted black, although the sections of video games didn't give one much view of the wall. A blue circular stage was found in the back of the store, glass displays of game consoles lined up around it, TV screens above them advertising said game console. Light streamed in from the windows at the front of the room, traffic passing by in a busy rush. At the side was a large counter, a flat screen TV hung on the wall behind it, the TV showing advertisements of popular or new games. Only a handful of people were inside the store today, mostly little kids and their parents. As for them, they were standing near the Xbox 360 section of the store.

"What is with you and games set in America?" Arthur asked, noticing the red and white stripes on the cover. "_Assassin's Creed III, Pokemon Black,_ and now _BioShock Infinite?_"

"I don't always play games that are set in America!" Alfred turned to him and pouted. Today, he was wearing a teal sweatshirt with jeans and a pair of Nikes, clothes he had picked from the top of his closet. "I'll have you know that I happen to be playing _EarthBound_ at the moment!"

"You're not helping your case Al."

Alfred considered his words. Finally, he pouted again. "So what if I like games set in America? I mean…" He puffed out his chest. "It _is _the most awesome country in the world after all!"

Arthur made an exasperated noise. "There are better ones in my opinion."

"No surprise, coming from the guy wearing the shirt with the UK flag on it." Arthur scowled and crossed his arms. In contrast to Alfred's rough appearance, Arthur was wearing a shirt with a Union Jack design and dark pants and brown loafers; although they were casual clothes, it still looked a great deal fancier than what Alfred was wearing. A red kerchief with a diamond design was tied around his neck, purely for fashion's use. "But it's good to see that you have some American on you though," Alfred added, nodding his head towards the bomber jacket Arthur was wearing. Arthur blushed.

"I didn't do it for you, you know."

"Did I ever say that you did?" Alfred turned back towards the video game rack. "Thanks for taking me video game shopping by the way. I was really surprised when you came up to me this morning and suddenly asked if I would like to go to GameStop with you. Unexpected it was, but nonetheless appreciated."

Arthur blushed harder. "I didn't do that for you either!"

"Sure you didn't Art, sure you didn't." Alfred hummed lightly as he scanned the covers for anything of interest. It was an understatement that Alfred was in a good mood today. Good thing too, because that was what Arthur had intended for.

"I don't see how you can enjoy yourself doing this Alfred…" Arthur commented as he moved beside Alfred. His eyes skimmed over the unfamiliar covers. "What's so fun about video games in the first place?"

Alfred gasped. "Arthur…" His tone was serious. "You have just said the words that should never be spoken." Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Will I now become He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named then, for speaking the Words-That-Should-Never-Be-Spoken?" Alfred burst into laughter.

"You and your books Art, you and your books… Think of it this way." He gave Arthur _BioShock Infinite _as he looked through a variety of Call of Duty games. "I have as much fun video game shopping as you have as much fun book shopping."

"I doubt that that's true… Speaking of which, Barnes & Noble is right next door." He glanced at the general direction of where the book store was. "Do you mind if I go there for a spell?"

"Do you have to?" Alfred gave him a look akin to that of a wounded puppy. Arthur hesitated.

"Well… I suppose if you don't take too long, then-" He didn't get to finish his sentence, for Alfred had whooped for joy.

"Yay! Now you can go pay for my video games!" Arthur punched him in the arm.

"Insufferable git, when the hell did I ever say that I was going to pay for your stupid video games?!" Alfred rubbed his arm.

"I thought it was a given since you were the one who invited me…"

"You're more of an idiot than I thought then."

"So you're not? Aw…" Alfred sighed as he took _BioShock Infinite _from Arthur's hands and returned it to the rack. "Way to crush my dreams Art."

"Glad to do so."

The other mock sniffed. "Just what kind of childhood friend are you? I thought we were closer than this…"

Arthur rolled his eyes again and said nothing as they walked over to the DS section. Alfred immediately moved towards the small part dedicated to 3DS games.

"Hmm… Should I get _Pokemon Black 2_?" He murmured absentmindedly as his hands grazed over the game cover. "But I could always just ask to borrow Kiku's version… Then again, seeing as Kiku actually managed to finish the National Pokedex, I don't think I should destroy all his hard work like that…"

Arthur paid no mind to Alfred's muttering. While he could understand what the boy was talking about, it didn't change the fact that it didn't interest Arthur in the least. _I wish I could just go to Barnes & Noble already…_ He glanced at Alfred. _I wonder if I really should though…_

He thought back to the past few days. Ever since they had helped Kiku, Alfred had been in an unexplainable bad mood. He didn't seem any different if you didn't pay any attention, but Arthur had noticed the subtle changes in his attitude. For one thing, Alfred was a tad bit more silent in conversations, occasionally passing chances to make a joke when he would normally do so. For another thing, he played more video games lately, as if he was desperately trying to distract himself.

He never would have admitted it, but Arthur had been worried for Alfred. Since he didn't know what the problem was and since he doubted that Alfred would tell him what was bothering him, he had decided to just do things that he knew would please Alfred. So far, it seemed like his plan was working.

"…Hey Artie, what do you think I should do?" Arthur snapped out of his thoughts to see Alfred patiently looking at him.

"I'm sorry, what is it you're asking of me?" Alfred shook his head.

"Never mind. I'll just go buy it another day or something. Christmas, maybe…" He focused his attention back on the video games. Arthur chuckled under his breath.

"Good to see that you're getting back to normal…" Alfred turned to him.

"Normal? What are you talking about, 'normal'?"

"Well…" Arthur diverted his eyes, pretending to be casually looking at a video game… _Scribblenauts_ was the first one he saw. "It's just that you seem a bit… off, as of late."

"I have been, haven't I?" Arthur looked at Alfred. His blue eyes were unusually sad. Something tugged inside of Arthur. He couldn't stand seeing Alfred like this.

"Alfred… is something the matter? Anything wrong, or…?" Alfred hesitated and then laughed, and much to Arthur's surprise, his normally jovial laugh sounded bitter.

"Are you worried about me or something? Don't worry, I'm fine, although I should appreciate your concern over me. It's not every day that you do something for me." Arthur glowered at him.

"I wasn't worried about you!"

"That's _totally _convincing Arthur." Alfred didn't roll his eyes, but he might as well have. "So you take me out video game shopping, wear the jacket I gave you, and ask if I'm okay without the ulterior motive of making me feel better?"

"Yes, what's so weird about that?" Alfred shook his head.

"You're impossible… Fine then." His eyes sparked with mischief. "What did you take me out for then, if it was not to make me feel better?"

"It's not a date if that's what you're trying to make me say. After all, didn't I say before that I would never date a person like you?" Arthur had meant to say it as a joke or maybe as a light insult, but Alfred looked like he had just been bludgeoned.

"As if I'd want to date you either!" The other scoffed, but fell silent afterwards. They stayed like that, neither one of them moving. _Damn it,_ Arthur cursed himself silently. _And he had been so happy just a few seconds ago… Way to go making things worse Kirkland. Way to go._

"Hey." Alfred's voice broke the silence. "Why did you take me out? If you just wanted to hang out with me, then we could've just watched Ellery Queen or something."

"We're one episode away from finishing it. We would've run out of things to watch and have gotten bored."

"Then we could've watched the 1985 movie of Clue and then Sherlock Holmes afterwards."

"We're getting off track." Arthur looked at the video game racks. "So what video game are you going to buy? We can't really call it shopping if neither of us buys anything."

"You're not paying for anything I pick, so what's the point? And nice try, but that's still off track." Alfred put a hand on his shoulder. "Arthur…"

"So I was a bit worried for you, so what?" Arthur moved his gaze to his shoes. They were nice shoes, they were. He could look at them all day. "You know, Nicolae's right about a lot of things about us. We're like seesaws. Going from one extreme to the next."

"Yeah, we're both too emotional for our own good... Although I find it ironic that even though we're like emotional dynamites, we have a hard time expressing ourselves." Alfred sounded as if he wanted to add something else to that. He hesitated, and then spoke again. "That goes back to our words versus actions talk, right? Well, I still think that actions are better."

"You still have yet to prove that to me."

"Take today then." He grabbed Arthur's chin and gently pulled his face up so that their eyes met. "You didn't have to tell me that you were worried about me. I knew from the minute you asked if I wanted to go somewhere with you that you were."

Arthur blushed. It seemed to him that he'd been doing too much of that lately, especially in regards of Alfred. "Then why'd you make me say it if words weren't better? Say what you will, but actions tend to leave things to interpretation. Words confirm what we mean."

"Arthur, some things are so obvious that they don't need interpretation." Alfred released his chin. "But you're right. Words confirm things. But there's another problem with words…" He suddenly seemed older than he really was, as if he had been partaking in a never-ending battle. "There are some things that people are too scared to say."

Arthur didn't say anything in reply. Several things started to click together in his head, but he ignored whatever subconscious revelations he was making. He was too scared to see what they were. "Do you… Do you want to go get something to eat?" He felt like punching himself. Alfred smiled, but there was no humor behind it.

"Nah." He turned his back on him. "Let's just go home."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 22_


	9. Hanging Out With Friends

_**Warning:**__ Contains gratuitous use of French. Please correct me if I'm wrong (*had used Google Translate)_

**_Edit: _**_ I knew that one day, I'd mix their names up. Anyways, thanks to i-Spit-on-Fire for seeing that!_

* * *

"It's painful to watch the two of them acting like this," Francis muttered as he watched the pair bicker. "The sexual tension is unbearable."

"You know, I've been meaning to ask, but do you really think that they're in love with each other?" Matthew asked, leaning back on his chair. They were in a nearby Starbucks, all four of them still in their uniforms. After school, Alfred had burst into Matthew's room, loudly declaring that he wanted to eat out. Francis had overheard and had invited himself, and to make it a nice even number, had dragged Arthur along with them. At the moment, Alfred and Arthur were going up to order while Matthew stayed at their table with Francis.

Francis snorted. "_Matthieu, _you may wear glasses, but I didn't think you were blind. Their _l'amour _is just as subtle as Gilbert."

Matthew brought his hands up. "Hey, I'm just saying that you tend to point it out a lot. I'm in the same boat as you. I actually think that the reason Alfred wanted to eat out with me was 'cause he had something to tell me… Although I think he won't do that anymore because of certain uninvited guests." He sent a not-so-subtle glare at Francis, who just shrugged.

"How should I have known that Alfred was planning to talk to you alone? I had just seen it as an opportunity for free food." Francis stroked the small amount of facial hair on his chin. "Why would he even go out of his way to get out of the school just to tell you something?"

"Probably for the same reason as you. Food, plus he'd be doing something important. That whole 'two-birds-with-one-stone' business." Matthew glanced towards Alfred. "I wonder what he wanted to talk about though… Must be something awfully important if he brought me out of school for it."

"If I may…" Francis cleared his throat. "I believe that he wishes to talk about problems from the heart. After all, it certainly isn't a picnic attempting to court _that_ abomination."

"I believe that one day in time, you attempted to court him yourself, only to find yourself black and blue."

"Jealous, are you?" Francis asked with a smirk. "If I had ever known that you held such an interest for me, I would've-"

"Me?" Matthew raised an eyebrow. "I'd certainly have quite a number of people to be jealous of if I was truly jealous of every person you've hit on before."

"_Matthieu_, you know that my heart will always belong to you."

"I'm touched." Francis just laughed at Matthew's flat tone. "All things aside though, what are we going to do about them?"

"They're both idiots, aren't they?" Francis was both exasperated and amused at the same time. "Very idiotic indeed."

"We all know Alfred's one, but I never expected Arthur to be one as well." Matthew leaned over the table, propping his left arm and leaning against his hand. "I have to say, I wonder how it became like this? When Arthur moved in with us, I certainly never expected him to have this kind of relationship with Alfred. He was more like a big brother to me and Al… but then again, he always did favor Alfred over me."

"He _was _quite attached to him, wasn't he? Still is, I'd bet. The same goes to Alfred of course… It's a pity that he's close to Arthur and not me..." Francis sighed. "I still remember that time Arthur and I had a cooking competition. Arthur being Arthur, his turned out to be _dégoûtant (disgusting),_ whereas mine was a true _chef-d'œuvre (masterpiece)_. We had Alfred decide who the victor was, and he had the audacity to choose Arthur's food over mine!" He shook his head. "Such a shame… We could've had a much more beautiful friendship if he had chosen me."

"I truly believe that you're more upset that someone deemed your cooking to be inferior to Arthur's than you are of the fact that Alfred isn't close to you."

"Who wouldn't be? Inferior to _Arthur's_ cooking, of all things…" Francis continued to mutter, some colorful language thrown here and there. Matthew just gave an exasperated smile.

"If it means anything, the éclairs you made the other day were delicious."

"Naturally!" Francis brightened up. "I knew there was a reason why I always preferred you over your brother."

"_Point is," _Matthew tried to keep the laughter out of his voice. "Arthur and Alfred never really seemed to show anything but brotherly affection to each other when we were young... I guess that changed after that incident, eh?"

"What happened anyways?" Francis leaned back on his chair. "I know that Alfred was particularly moody around that time, but I still didn't think that he would actually cause Arthur to break down in tears."

"I don't really know. I wasn't there when they fought, but it's a fact that they changed after that." Matthew tilted his head in thought. "Hey, do you think that that fight they had recently- you know, the one that got them to fight incessantly for three months- has anything to do with that incident?"

"It's been years already. I doubt that whatever it was, they wouldn't hold too much of a grudge over it." Despite what he had said, Francis seemed doubtful of his words. "But it is a possibility."

"Yeah…" Matthew sighed. "Anyways, back to my point, Arthur was always like the older brother we never had…" Francis raised an eyebrow.

"What about _moi? _I do believe that I acted as a sort of elder brother to you two as well."

"You always were a silly guy. Still are actually."

"You wound me. I am just as serious as that Englishman."

"Tell that to the white handkerchief you always bite onto whenever you want to express despair."

Francis chuckled. "You know me far too well Matthew. Returning back to our original topic, I honestly believe that-"

"Honestly believe what?" The two looked up to see Arthur and Alfred standing over them, their orders in their hands. "If you're spreading lies about me, I swear I'll wring your neck."

"Touchy, aren't we? How unattractive." Arthur scowled at Francis's light tone as they sat down on the table. Alfred sat next to Francis while Arthur was situated next to Matthew. "And I don't see why I would ever discuss such a topic with dear Matthew here. Quite frankly, I like to keep my conversations clean."

"Clean? Now _that's _rich," Arthur sneered. "You wouldn't know clean even if you were drowning in soap."

"Are you suggesting that you would?"

"What took you guys so long?" Matthew cut Arthur off before the other could say anything. At the same time, Alfred started distributing their orders.

"Line was a bit long. Plus, Arthur and I got into a fight on what we should order since I kept changing it." Alfred was curt as he passed Matthew's order to him- a bagel and a bottle of water. "You owe me by the way," he said as he passed Francis his Espresso Macchiato and a chocolate croissant. "Arthur forgot his wallet and neither of us wanted to leave the line, so I was left to pay for everything." He gave Arthur his Tazo® Earl Grey tea and blueberry scone, leaving himself with the Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino Blended Crème, apple fritter, cinnamon roll, and cheesecake brownie.

"I'll pay you back when I can," Matthew said as he bit into his bagel.

"So if you weren't slandering me, what were you two talking about while Alfred and I were gone?" Arthur asked, picking up his tea and taking a sip from it.

"Oh, this and that…" Francis waved a hand absently. "Nothing that would interest you in the least, but if you truly must know, we were talking about my and Matthew's love life."

Alfred dropped his apple fritter. "Excuse me?"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "He's lying Al, don't worry."

"_Au contraire, _I'll have you know that I am being quite serious. Matthew and I have been having a secret affair for the past two years now. We were just talking about how it was high time we told you, knowing that you'd be accepting of our relationship."

"What?!" Alfred clenched his fists. "I know that you go for everything that moves, but my brother is off-limits!"

"Al, he's pulling your leg." Still, Matthew was amused to see how protective his younger brother was being. "Seriously, none of that is true."

"Honestly Alfred, how can you believe what this fool is saying?" Arthur took a bite out of his scone. "You of all people should know that Matthew has better taste than that."

"Are you really in the position to question Matthew's sense of taste when you have none yourself?" Matthew held Arthur back as the latter somehow produced out a spoon and tried to throw it at Francis.

"One of these days, Francis, one of these days…" Arthur shrugged Matthew off and continued to eat his food, but not without sending Francis a dark glare. Alfred turned to Matthew.

"So you're not dating him?"

"No Alfred, I'm not."

"Good." Alfred picked up his apple fritter again. "Especially since a brutal murder of a friend does not do wonders for a hero's reputation." Francis sighed dramatically.

"Must I always be surrounded by people who would very much like to see me hurt? This is why I prefer gentle Matthew over anyone else; _he _wouldn't like to hurt me, unlike some people I know." He blatantly turned to Arthur. "It's why I love him so much."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Just drop the act already, we're not going to fall for it a second time." Francis just smiled serenely.

"Very well, but only if you answer one question." He casually took a sip from his espresso. "Where were you and Alfred yesterday? I recall seeing you two pass by the common room wearing casual clothes. By the way…" His smile turned to a smirk. "I didn't know that bomber jackets were the new fashion."

Matthew almost spat out his water as Arthur blushed. "You can't be serious." He turned towards Alfred, who was nibbling on his brownie while staring at the menu. "You didn't actually…? That's… that's just…"

"Oh hey, that Oreo cheesecake looks pretty good. Maybe I should go order it." Francis forced Alfred down as he tried to stand up. The former sent Matthew a 'what-did-I-tell-you?' look before turning back to Alfred.

"Relax, _mon ami,_ we are merely shocked," he told him. "Heaven knows that you love that jacket as much as you love life itself, so naturally seeing Arthur wear it would give us a shock."

"That's just… Wow…" Matthew bit down on his bagel, his mind racing.

"Speaking of which, you didn't answer my question," Francis took a bite out of his croissant and spoke when he was done chewing. "Where were you two yesterday?"

"That's none of your business," Arthur snapped, his cheeks still pink.

"Shopping," Alfred had said at the same time. "We had gone video game shopping."

"Video games?" Matthew echoed. "But couldn't you just ask Kiku or Gilbert for their old stuff? That's what you normally do…"

"Oh, that's because-"

"My, that cheesecake does look rather delicious, don't you agree?" Arthur said loudly, successfully drowning out Alfred's response. "Why don't I go order i-?"

"You were the one who took him video game shopping, weren't you?" Arthur didn't respond, but his cheeks did turn pinker. Francis chuckled. "How utterly unromantic, although I didn't expect much from you in the first place."

"It wasn't a date!"

"It wasn't?" Francis feigned surprise. "So you wore the boy's jacket and went- just the two of you- shopping for something you knew the boy loved. Why, that's hardly a date at all!"

"That's because it wasn't." Alfred finished his frappuccino, having also already finished the rest of his food. "We were just hanging out, that's all."

"Oh. That's good then." Normally, Matthew would have joined Francis and teased him some more, but something in him told him to not talk about it. Luckily, Francis seemed to have gotten the message as well, and didn't say anything else on the matter. All four were quiet as they ate their food.

"Say…" Francis finished the last of his espresso as Arthur finished the last of his tea. "You two are supposed to be siblings, right? Not siblings, but pretty much 'brothers' in all sense but the word, right?"

Arthur promptly dropped his cup, which amazingly didn't break upon impact. His face was red. "It's not like that at all!" He said in a flustered manner. "We're like… I mean… How do you put it…?"

"You." Alfred was completely composed. "What are you saying?"

"So you two consider the other as more than just a close friend, but don't consider each other as 'brothers'." Matthew leaned back on his chair, taking the reactions Francis elicited out of them and what he figured out to form an opinion. "You guys are still idiots, but there's still hope for you two yet."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 21_

_P.S. I did take a scene from one of the Comic Birz's in Hetalia and added it into the story with some changes. That scene is not mine._


	10. With Animal Ears

_Damyan = Bulgaria_

* * *

"Hey Kirkland!" Arthur turned back to see Nicolae running over to him. One thought came to Arthur's mind.

"No running in the halls Vladimirescu!" Nicolae stuck his tongue out to him as he slowed to a stop.

"But I was running for a good reason! Don't be so harsh, Student Council Prez!"

"I should really just write you up for this."

"But you wouldn't do that, right?" Arthur just sighed.

"One day, you'll get into trouble Vladimirescu, and on that day, I won't be there to bail you out."

"Ominous words Kirkland, but that won't ever happen. I'm much too good for that!" Nicolae grinned. "By the way, how come we're referring to each other with our last names?"

"You started it, how should I know?"

"Eh." Nicolae shrugged. "Well anyways, Kiku wanted me to give you this. Said something about paying you back."

"I told him that he needn't do such a thing…" Arthur sighed. "Well, I suppose I should just accept it. It would be too rude to reject his gratitude."

"That's the spirit!" Nicolae reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a long and fat package. "By the way, this is for Alfred too."

"Okay." Arthur eyed the package. "It's pretty big, but I can't really guess what it is." He looked back up at Nicolae. "Do you happen to have any idea what it is?"

Nicolae shrugged again. "Dunno, but it's probably clothes. After all, Kiku's good at making those."

"You're probably right." Arthur accepted the package. It was light, and if he pressed down on it, he could see a bit of the shape of its contents, although he still couldn't tell what it was. "Thanks Nicolae. Tell Kiku my thanks as well."

"No prob! Just make sure you and Alfred open it together, okay? Well anyways, see you!" Nicolae spun on his heels and started to run back to where he came from.

"What did I just tell you?!" Arthur called out to him. Nicolae looked back and stuck out his tongue again. When he turned away, Arthur could have sworn that he saw the traces of a smirk on his face.

''''''

"What's that?"

Arthur looked up to see Alfred prodding the package on the night stand. Arthur put his book down on his side.

"Kiku gave it to us as repayment for that little… cosplay business a while back." Alfred picked the package up.

"I told him loads of times that he didn't need to do that…" he murmured as he shook the package. "How come you didn't open it yet?"

"Nicolae told me not to open it without you."

"Nicolae?" Alfred turned the package over. "Isn't this Kiku's gift?"

"It is, but he was the one who gave it to me." Arthur crinkled his nose. "Now that I think about it, why didn't Kiku deliver it himself?"

"Yeah, that is pretty weird, isn't it?"

"Do you think that it's a prank?" Arthur asked, moving closer to him. "I wouldn't put it below Nicolae to do so…"

"One way to check…" Alfred tore open the package.

"You've got to be kidding me," Arthur said as Alfred held up their 'presents'. "There's no way Kiku would have sent this to us."

"I think I figured that out for myself," Alfred said as he looked at the two bunny headbands in his hands. One of the headbands was the same shade as Arthur's hair and had long, droopy ears with bushy fur. The other one was of a medium-size and was the same shade of Alfred's hair. Unlike the other headband, the ears of this one stood up straight, although the ears were much shorter in comparison.

"I think this one's yours by the way." Alfred tossed Arthur the bunny headband with the same color as his hair. He barely caught it.

"We should throw this away," Arthur said as he looked over the headband. "We have no use of it."

"That would be a waste. We should at least donate it. Although…" Alfred looked curiously at his headband. "We could just try it on for a sec. We got it, we might as well try it.

"Are you mad? I'd rather go starkers before I put this on."

"Better start stripping then."

"_Alfred,"_ Arthur said exasperatedly as Alfred put on his headband. He was astonished by the outcome; it looked as if the ears were a part of Alfred's head. "You…"

"Cheese!" Alfred whipped out his phone and took a picture of himself. "Hey, these aren't that bad!" He looked at Arthur. "You should give them a try!"

"Why in the world should I?"

"Why not? We're the only ones in here, it's not like you'd be embarrassing yourself."

"I still don't think I need to."

"Come on, it was a gift. Might be a prank, but pleeeease?" Arthur sighed.

"Fine, but this is through my own volition." He put on the bunny ears. The headband was surprisingly comfortable to wear. The headband didn't hug his head too tightly and the ears were so light that you could barely feel them. "Hm, I suppose they're alri-" A 'click' was heard as Alfred took a picture.

"Hey!" Arthur made a move to grab his phone, but Alfred scooted away. "Delete that photo this instance!"

"No way, this is a one-time sort of thing; I am _not _passing up this chance." Alfred kept moving away as Arthur continued to try to take his phone.

"I'm serious Alfred, give me the phone!"

"On one condition." Alfred grabbed Arthur's wrist and looked him in the eye. "You do one thing for thing for me, and you can't protest or disagree."

Arthur raised an eyebrow in indignation. "Now why in the world should I agree to that?"

"Because if you don't, you're essentially leaving me with leverage against you." Arthur scowled.

"You're a real bastard, do you know that?" Alfred shrugged.

"It's your choice. You can leave this photo in my hands or you can owe me a favor. Personally, I don't have much to lose."

"What makes you think that I won't just grab your phone and delete the photo myself? Or if I'll just get my phone out and take a picture of you?"

"Good luck trying to grab my phone. I'm stronger than you, remember?" To demonstrate his point, Alfred squeezed Arthur's wrist a bit. "And I don't really care if you take a picture of me and send it to the whole school. It's just bunny ears, and I look pretty dang cool, right?" He let go of Arthur. "So what's your choice?"

Arthur considered his options. "Fine, but if whatever you want me to do is in any way humiliating or harmful, remember that you never said that I couldn't hit you." He straightened up. "So what do you want me to do?"

Alfred just laughed. "Arthur, do I seem like that kind of guy to you? As for that favor, I don't have anything planned for you to do. I just like the idea of you owing me."

Arthur scowled as he snatched Alfred's phone out of his hands. He found the picture and pressed the delete button.

"There." Arthur shoved the phone back to Alfred. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go back to reading my book."

"With the bunny ears still on?"

"Of course not!" Arthur took them off as he walked back to his bed. He put them on the nightstand. "I don't want you taking another picture."

"Aw, that's a shame…" Alfred took his bunny ears off and put them on the nightstand as well. "Why do you think Kiku sent it to us in the first place, these bunny ears?"

"I thought we agreed that it wasn't Kiku who had sent them," Arthur said as he sat back down on his bed.

"Then who did?" Alfred sat down on his bedside. "And why?"

"It's a prank; must there be a why?" Arthur took his book up and started to read. "'_Oh, yes,' came Kenspeckle's answer, 'and quite easily, too. We've seen how my grumpiest of patients can survive being dismembered, but it has long been my theory that if there isn't a large enough section of him that remains intact, his consciousness would dissipate…'"_

"Maybe it was from Francis?" Alfred mused. "Maybe he wants us to become playboy bunnies?"

"If that was the case, then I'd kill him." _"Valkyrie lay back in the mud. She had come to regard Skulduggery as unkillable- mainly because he was already dead. She didn't like the idea of someone utterly _destroying _him…"_

"Maybe Kiku really did send it to us, and it really was for repayment."

"I doubt it." Arthur turned the page. _"'His job is done,' Ghastly said. 'Unless he has another target, he'll slip away like he's always done.'…"_

"Perhaps it was Nicolae? It is sort of the thing he'd do…"

"It is." _"Skulduggery murmured something that nobody understood. He made a few grunts that sounded like threats, and then Kenspeckle's voice moved closer to Valkyrie…"_

"But why would he do that? It might be for fun, but then still…"

Arthur didn't answer. _"'Fine,' Kenspeckle said. 'I'll remove the bandage, but if your jaw falls off, you're going to the back of the queue.'…"_

"Maybe he wants us to breed like bunni-?"

"Oh for heaven's sake Alfred." Arthur shut his book impatiently. "Can't you see that I'm trying to read? I've been trying to finish this book for ages, but I haven't found the time to do so. Look, I don't care if you're trying to figure out why we were sent bunny ears, but can you do it in silence? So if you will, can you please shut it?!"

"Fine…" Alfred pouted. "You still owe me though."

"I'd say you owe me for not hitting you yet."

"I wouldn't mind if you hit on me."

"You really want me to hit you, don't you?"

Alfred laughed. "Just go back to your book Art."

''''''

_doilooklikeisparkle has logged on_

_Maplesyrup4lyf has logged on_

_ConnoisseuroftheAges has logged on_

_4649 has logged on_

**doilooklikeisparkle: **i think they opened it!

**Maplesyrup4lyf:** it terrifies me how much u kno. i mean, im right next to them and i didnt kno that

**ConnnoisseuroftheAges: **You're becoming more like your brother every day Matthew.

**Maplesyrup4lyf:** Shut up Francis, I was rushing that one.

**4649: **How did you know that in the first place, Nicolae?

**doilooklikeisparkle:** I have my ways. Namely passing by their door and overhearing Arthur snapping at Alfred.

**Maplesyrup4lyf:** How come I didn't hear them?

**doilooklikeisparkle: **How should I know? Anyways, thanks Kiku for making those bunny ears!

**4649: **You're welcome Nicolae. I have to say though, I would rather much repay them in a more… normal manner than this.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Trust me, you'll be doing them a great favor by bringing them together. Isn't that right, Matthew?

**Maplesyrup4lyf:** You know, it really does terrify me how much you know.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **It's not my fault that I happened to overhear you two when you were talking about their relationship.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **If I recall, you were nowhere in sight when I was talking to Matthew.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **I'm a master of shadows.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Moving on, what should we do next? I wasn't really expecting much when I suggested sending them bunny ears.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **What were we trying to achieve by doing that anyways?

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Nothing. It just amused me. Plus, by a weird sense of logic, maybe they would have thought that we wanted them to breed like bunnies.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **It mostly amused you, didn't it?

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Yep.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **So what should be our next move?

_don'tmindtheidiot has logged on_

**don'tmindtheidiot: **Nicolae, one day I have to pay you back for giving me this username.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Glad to see you've joined the party Damyan.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **As for your username, it's all even. After all, you're the one who chose my username.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **May we please return back to the topic?

**don'tmindtheidiot: **The topic? It's Alfred and Arthur, right? Nicolae told me just now.

**4649: **Yes. We are trying to decide of a way to bring them together.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **It's not going to happen overnight, but we want to help as much as we can. It would take them forever to get together at the rate they're going right now, so we want to speed things up a bit.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **So does anyone have any suggestions?

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **If there's anything I know of those two, it's that they both aren't as expressive as they should be.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **Are you really saying that?

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **Yes.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **You know what I mean.

**4649: **So you want to find a way that forces them to express their true feelings?

**don'tmindtheidiot: **Wouldn't drama work?

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **Not necessarily drama. While drama is one way, those two produce enough drama on their own. We don't need any more.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges:** No, what I'm thinking of is showing off their sexier sides.

**4649: **Well, Alfred has dressed up as a gentleman around Arthur before and Arthur has dressed as a cat boy around Alfred before.

**doilooklikeisparkle:**What?! Since when?!

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **I think the more important question is whether or not you have pictures.

**4649: **I do not.

**4649: **What I'm trying to say is that time seemed to have frustrated Alfred. It seemed that Arthur had not noticed Alfred's interest in him, so I don't think showing off their, quote-on-quote, "sexier sides" will help.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **So what should we do?

**don'tmindtheidiot: **Show off their cute side? If sexy doesn't work, we can always go with cute.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **That could work.

**Maplesyrup4lyf:** But didn't we try that with the headbands already?

**doilooklikeisparkle: ** We'll need something bigger than the headbands for it to work…

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Hey, I have an idea! What are those things called, those costumes of animals or something…?

**4649: **I think I know what you mean. Would you like me to make some?

**doilooklikeisparkle****: **You don't mind, do you?

**4649: **If it's for the sake of my friends, then yes.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Good! Let Operation:Cute commence!

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 20_

_P.S. The book Arthur was reading was _Skulduggery Pleasant: Mortal Coil _by Derek Landy. It's the book I'm currently reading, which is why I used it._

_P.P.S. Their usernames are names I chose on the spot. As for Kiku's, his will take some explaining to do. You see, Japanese words can be read in several ways. Kiku's username, "4649", would normally be read as__四千六百四十九 __(yonsen roppyaku yonjyuu kyuu). However, if you take each individual number and choose one of their readings, 4649 could be read as __よーろーしーく __(yo-ro-shi-ku). The Japanese word__宜しく __(yoroshiku) can be translated in many ways, one of which is "Nice to meet you". If you still don't understand it, just google Japanese wordplay._


	11. Wearing Kigurumis

"What's this for?"

"Don't you want new pajamas?" Matthew patted the package. "They're not pajamas though, but they remind me of them."

"If they're not pajamas, then what are they?"

"According to Kiku, these are called 'kigurumi'. It's what we know as mascot costumes, but not exactly. It's the things people wear to represent a certain character, although they often depict animals too."

"And you're giving this to me… why?" Alfred kept on walking. They were walking along the halls of the school despite classes being long over. Lately, Alfred had taken to taking walks around school. It was oddly comforting, and it gave him a chance to think in peace. Somehow though, Matthew had found him in one of his walks. The other was holding a package, a sure sign that Kiku was probably the creator of whatever was inside of it. "I don't exactly want to wear a mascot costume Matt."

"Haven't I told you that these aren't mascot costumes?"

"'Aren't'? Plural?"

"You must be hanging out with Arthur a lot if you actually picked that up. But yeah, there are more than one." Matthew patted the package down again. "Two actually, but yeah. Plural."

"Why would I need two?" Alfred paused. "Actually, why do I need them at all? I have enough pajamas as is."

"Come on, you have to admit that they're pretty interesting… And I've seen your pajamas. New ones won't do you any harm."

"But these are costumes." Alfred grimaced. "Last time I wore a costume, it didn't end particularly well."

"Yeah, Arthur can be pretty dense sometimes, right?" Matthew said sympathetically. "Although that's probably because he hangs around you too much."

"I am not dense!"

"I know, but teasing the little brother is an older brother's job, right?" Matthew chuckled. "But anyways, you should take them Al. I think that you'll like them."

"Maybe…" Alfred trailed off. He didn't really plan on using them, but he _was _rather curious as to what kind of costume was inside the package. After all, he might end up liking them. Worse comes to worse, he could always just donate them to charity. Still, something bothered him. "But why are you giving them to me? And where'd you get them in the first place?"

"Kiku made them." Matthew spoke as if saying that Kiku made them explained everything Alfred needed to know. "As for why, can't I do a nice thing for you and not be questioned for it?"

"You can, it's just… well, even you have to agree that this is sort of out of the blue."

"Nonsense, just take it!" Matthew insisted. "You can always just donate it to charity if you don't like it, so what's the harm?" Alfred widened his eyes.

"How'd you know I was thinking that?"

Matthew let out a small snort. "You're actually very predictable Alfred. It helps that you try to do the 'good thing' because of that hero complex of yours."

"It's not a complex if it's true!"

"That didn't make any sense."

"You know what I mean!" Matthew just smiled.

"Not really, no." He opened his sleeve to take a look at his watch. "Hey, I've gotta go. I promised Francis that I would help him with something at around this time." Alfred narrowed his eyes.

"I don't trust that guy."

"Are you still on that affair thing?" Matthew asked exasperatedly as he looked back up at Alfred. "You know it's not true."

"Maybe…" Alfred crossed his arms. "But maybe not. I think I need to have a word with Francis."

"Who are you, my mother?" Matthew ruffled Alfred's hair. "And leave the big brother-ing to me. Speaking of which…" He practically shoved the package in Alfred's hands. "…Just accept this as a present from your older bro, alright?" He glanced at his watch again. "Man, I really have to go… See you Al!" Before Alfred could protest, Matthew scampered off. He looked at the package in his hands.

_Something fishy is going on around here…_ He thought to himself as he lightly bounced the package. _First the headbands, and now this? I wonder what's going on…_ He looked at the package again. _Oh well. Maybe it's just as he says. As Arthur once said, must there always be a why?_

Alfred started to hum as he made his way back to the dorm buildings, package in hands. _Matthew said that there were two of them in here, right? I think he said that…_ He looked at the package again. _Makes me wonder…_

'''''

"Just what in the world are you wearing?"

Alfred didn't look up from his laptop. He was spread out on his bed, fully clothed as a Dragonite. The costume turned out to look a bit like an onesie pajama, except with added details and the fact that the feet were exposed. The one Alfred wore was orange with a white belly, the buttons hidden behind a flap in the front of the suit. Two wings were attached to his back, the folds orange on the outside and blue on the inside. A tail also protruded from the suit, the material moved to Alfred's side so that he wasn't lying on most of it. He had his hood up, the curved antennas attached to its sides falling a bit. "What, don't you like it?"

Alfred heard the thud of something falling onto the ground, presumably Arthur's bag. "It's unexpected, that's what it is."

"But comfy."

"You're a Pokémon for heaven's sake."

"You jelly?" Alfred jerked his head on the alcove. A box sat there. "There's something there for you too."

"Is this another one of 'Kiku's' gifts?" Arthur asked warily. "If so, I'd rather not take it."

"Nah, this is from Matthew." He didn't have to look up to see Arthur relax.

"Well, if it's from Matthew, then I suppose it should be all right." Alfred kept typing as Arthur made his way towards the box. He couldn't suppress his smirk as he heard Arthur open the box. "…You tricked me."

"Did not. I really did get that from Matthew."

"Then why is it so ridiculous?!" Alfred turned his eyes to see Arthur holding up the Luxray suit. The suit was black and blue, the buttons also on the front. The arms of the suit were a bit spiky on the shoulders and were black on the foreside, but on the underside, the material was blue and had three golden rings on the back. The front of the midriff was blue with the waist black, although the legs of the suit were blue. The hood was black and pointy and on its sides were round blue ears with yellow insides. Finishing the look, a black tail with a pointed star on the end protruded from the backside of the suit. "And why am I the Luxray and you're the Dragonite?"

"Because dragons are cooler." Alfred shut down his laptop and put it on the nightstand as he stood up. "Why don't you try them on? You know you want to~"

"Not in your wildest dreams."

"Trust me, my dreams are nothing like this." Arthur looked at him questioningly. Alfred tried to stay casual. "So why don't you put them on?"

"The headbands were one thing, but this is something else entirely."

"What's the harm?" Alfred moved to the edge of the bed. "I promise I won't take pictures."

Arthur held up the suit and was eying it cautiously. "Still, this is sort of…"

"Come on, you have to give it a try." Alfred did his best to pull off a puppy dog look. "Please? Pleasepleasepleasepleaseple-"

"Alright, alright!" Alfred smirked in triumph.

"Is it just me or are you more agreeable than before?"

"Oh, just shut up already." Arthur started to unbutton the suit. "Only for a few seconds or so…" He slipped into the suit.

"Hey, you actually look kind of cute!" Arthur blushed as he buttoned the suit back up.

"Why did I ever agree to this…?"

"Because if you didn't, I'd have annoyed you to death."

"Right you are." Arthur walked towards Alfred's bed and plopped down right next to him. "You can be very annoying at times."

Alfred shrugged. At this point in his life, he was used to being called annoying. It never really fazed him. "So how are they?" He asked Arthur, trying to keep a smile off from his face.

"It's a Kiku creation, what do you think?" Arthur's small smile faded. "Why would Matthew give this to us though?"

"Well technically, he gave them to me." Alfred moved to lie down on his bed. "And weren't you the one who said that there didn't always have to be a 'why'?"

"Well yes, but this is a tad bit too odd to be a prank…" Arthur gripped his chin in thought. "I think that this present of yours was meant to be for the both of us."

"What makes you think that?"

"I don't know how to explain it, but this seems like…" He struggled for the word. "Like it's something different."

"You're thinking that too, huh?" Alfred traced something on the ceiling absentmindedly. "You don't think… you don't think that they want us to dress up for something, right? I mean, both the presents we've received from them lately are animal related… Sort of. Pokémon aren't exactly animals."

Alfred shook his head. "No, Kiku would have straight out asked us if he wanted us to dress up. Plus, do you actually think that the others would pass up a chance to see us-"

"-dressed as this?" Arthur gestured to their clothes. "Yes, I agree with you. This isn't just simply dressing up. There's a reason to all of this. An incredibly stupid one, I would bet."

"No kidding. I mean, what's the point of dressing us up as Pokémon? I mean, it's cute and all, but…" Alfred suddenly had an idea. "Maybe they wanted us to look cute!"

Arthur snorted. "Cute? Why would they want us to look cute? And wouldn't they have dressed us up as Pikachus or Jigglypuffs if they wanted us to look cute?"

"I don't know, maybe they wanted to dress us up as the Pokémon whose personalities suit us?" Alfred shrugged. "This is all just way too weird. What I don't get is-"

"-why it's the both of us," Arthur finished. Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"How in the world did you manage to finish my sentences?"

"I know you Alfred." Alfred felt somewhat happy when Arthur said that. "Plus, I was thinking that as well."

"Still, that's like a couple's thing…" He suddenly sat up, startling Arthur. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Arthur asked, the shock fading from his eyes.

"Couples!" Alfred's mind started to race. "They're-"

"-trying to bring us together." Arthur shook his head. "Both of the 'gifts' we received were matching. Two bunny ear headbands and two Pokémon suits. While it's still a bit too early to be definite-"

"-it just feels that this is what they're trying to do." This time, it was Arthur who raised an eyebrow.

"We never finished each other's sentences before, how come we can finish them now? But that's beside the point…" Arthur shook his head again. "Honestly, what do they think this is, a book? A story?"

"Yeah, you don't really find people trying to bring others together in real life now that I think about it." Alfred couldn't help but feel a mixture of exasperation and gratitude to their efforts. "Who do you think is part of the 'Get-Arthur-and-Alfred-Together' group? Because I'm pretty sure that this isn't the work of just one person."

Arthur tilted his head in thought. "Nicolae, because he was the one who gave us the bunny ears-"

"-Matt, 'cause of the gift he gave me today and since he knew about that cosplay thing we did some time back, which he could have heard from-"

"-Kiku, who is undoubtedly the one who made all of our gifts-"

"-and Francis, since Matthew said that he was meeting him up, and if it has anything to do with romance, he'd definitely be a part of it." Alfred held up four fingers. "Can you think of anyone else?"

"No, but I think that it's safe to assume that the four we just named are the ringleaders of this little group." Arthur frowned. "Honestly, who are they to try to decide our love lives? _I _decide who I want to date, and I'd rather not have other people try to decide for me."

Alfred tried not to react to Arthur's words. "I think the more pressing matter here is…" He couldn't possibly tell Arthur that he _appreciated_ the others for helping him, even though it did slightly irritate him as well. "…how are we going to get them back?"

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 19_


	12. Making Out

_doilooklikeisparkle has logged on_

_Maplesyrup4lyf has logged on_

_ConnoisseuroftheAges has logged on_

_4649 has logged on_

_don'tmindtheidiot has logged on_

**doilooklikeisparkle: **I think you were too obvious.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **Even if I was, he still accepted it, didn't he?

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Still, some tact is needed…

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **What's done is done. Plus, I doubt that Alfred would suspect anything from it.

**don'tmindtheidiot: **Yeah, and even if he does, what would he do about it?

**doilooklikeisparkle: **I suppose…

**4649: **I believe that at the moment, we should just focus on our next plan.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **I second that notion.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **We need to do something with a bigger impact since all the things that we've done so far are rather…

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **"Obscure" is the word that you're looking for, I believe.

**Maplesyrup4lyf:** What he said.

**don'tmindtheidiot:** We could always do 7 minutes in heaven.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **Are you nuts?

**Maplesyrup4lyf:** I'd rather not risk the chance of getting Francis.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **Your words cut through me like a sword, _mon cher._

**doilooklikeisparkle: **I'm with Matt on this one.

**don'tmindtheidiot: **Thirded.

**4649: **I apologize, but I would rather not as well.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges:** What have I ever done to any of you to cause you all to act like this to me?

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **It's what you _haven't_ done to us that have got us on edge.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Pfft.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **That was nicely put Matthew.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **I am deeply offended.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **Hardly.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges:** I still don't see the problem of that plan. We all know that there are people here that would very much like to be paired with each other.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges:** Such as Nicolae and Damyan.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Excuse me?!

**doilooklikeisparkle: **I don't mind being in a dark room, but it's Damyan, so…

**don'tmindtheidiot: **What's that supposed to mean?

**don'tmindtheidiot: **And if it means anything, I'd rather not get stuck with you either.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **What?!

**doilooklikeisparkle**: But why not?!

**don'tmindtheidiot: **Alone, in a dark room with you? That's like asking to be trapped in a haunted mansion.

**doilooklikeisparkle**: You're mean…

_Nh3 has logged on_

**don'tmindtheidiot:** It's not mean if it's the truth.

**don'tmindtheidiot: **Do you know how terrifying you can be? I normally don't mind, but being stuck with you in a dark room…

**don'tmindtheidiot: **Now that's just horrifying.

**4649: **If I understood this right, you are only opposed because of your exposure to Nicolae's scary stories, which has caused you to become terrified of him?

**don'tmindtheidiot: **I see you've heard some of them as well.

**don'tmindtheidiot:** But yeah, that's the reason.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **That's the _only _reason?

**don'tmindtheidiot: **Should I have any other reason to be opposed?

**Maplesyrup4lyf: …**

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **Our next target should be you two.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges:** I second that notion.

**4649:** Thirded.

**doilooklikeisparkle**: Wait, what?!

**doilooklikeisparkle**: You guys can't band together against me!

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **Nicolae, we all know that you have feelings towards Damyan. It's no use to hide what is true.

**doilooklikeisparkle**: Well yeah, but you guys make it more embarrassing!

**don'tmindtheidiot: **Wait, so you'd actually want us to get picked?

**doilooklikeisparkle**: Of course!

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **Guys, I think we're getting sidetracked here.

_1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0 has logged on_

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Yeah, we're supposed to be focusing on Arthur and Alfred, not me and Damyan.

**don'tmindtheidiot: **I still don't see why Nicolae and I am suddenly a couple to you guys…

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **Damyan, you are just as obvious as Nicolae.

**don'tmindtheidiot: **Am not!

**don'tmindtheidiot: **I mean, you have no proof!

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **I believe that's proof enough.

**Maplesyrup4lyf:** So it's a no-go for 7 minutes of heaven?

**4649: **Apparently so.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges:** *sigh*

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **Such a shame, that is.

**don'tmindtheidiot: **Who suggested it in the first place?

**doilooklikeisparkle: **You did dragă.

**Maplesyrup4lyf:** You did that on purpose.

**don'tmindtheidiot: **Why, what'd he say?

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **Use Translate.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Translate sucks.

**don'tmindtheidiot: **…

**don'tmindtheidiot: **You did do that on purpose.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **Anyways_,_ _before_ we get side-tracked _again_, anyone have any more ideas?

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **And I'd prefer it if we didn't deviate from the main topic.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **Ah, youth. How scatterbrained they are.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **Just because you have facial hair doesn't make you any older than us.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **But I _am _older than you, dear _Matthieu._

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **If you're trying to pull off that "listen to your elders" thing, it's not going to work. We all know that I might as well be the same age as you.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **How I miss the shy little child you used to be…

**Maplesyrup4lyf:** I still am.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **Now that I think about it, when did you become so callous towards me? You don't act like this to anyone else.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **When you've lived next to stupidity, you tend to show it some tough love.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **So you admit to showing me love?

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **And you wonder why I'm callous to you.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Kiku, how does it feel to have no one to act like a couple to?

**4649: **I am used to the feeling.

**4649: **If I may, I would like to suggest that we just leave Arthur and Alfred to their own devices.

**4649: **They might be able to get together on their own.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **_Mon Dieu, _you must be joking.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **We've known them since they were young. While they have changed a great deal from that time, they're more or less in the same spot.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **Sort of.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **At the very least, they're over the 'brothers' hurdle.

**don'tmindtheidiot: **So basically, leaving them alone is a horrible decision.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Yeah. I mean, if it took them this long to get over the brothers hurdle, it'll take them until they're 50 to know that they love each other.

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **not tru!1!1!

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **Alfred?!

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **how'd u kno it was me?!

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **USERNAME

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **i chose urs, so wat?

**Nh3:** If you continue to speak that way, I am liable to walk all the way to your bed and smack you with your own laptop.

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0:** lololol u wouldnt do that

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY DID THAT

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **Arthur too?!

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Since when did you guys get here?!

**Nh3: **A while back, although I don't think that any of you noticed.

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **By the way, thanks for the costumes or whatever, but if you honestly believe that giving us those- and the bunny ears for that matter- would work, you thought wrong. You would've done better with that 7 minutes of heaven idea.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **See?

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0:** Oh, and we were totally right.

**Nh3: **Except for Damyan. We hadn't thought of him at all.

**don'tmindtheidiot: **For what?

**4649: **I believe that the more important question is how they joined our chat.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **Yes, I thought this was a private chat.

**doilooklikeisparkle: **It is!

**doilooklikeisparkle: …**

**don'tmindtheidiot: **It's on public, isn't it?

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0:** Yup. Anyways, we have something we want to say to you guys…

**Nh3: **Will you guys quit trying to get Alfred and me together?!

**Nh3: **I date who I want to date, and I don't need anyone else to decide for me!

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **Strong words, yet I don't hear Alfred saying anything. I would very much like to hear his opinion on this matter.

**Nh3: **He believes in the same thing!

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **_Au contraire, _I believe that he thinks quite differently from you.

**Nh3:** I hate it when you use French. It's such a horrid language.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **Jealous of the language of love?

**Nh3: **As much as I'm jealous of you.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **Very much so then.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges:** But alas, we are getting sidetracked. I believe that I was asking Alfred a question.

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **Technically, you didn't.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **That can easily be arranged: Alfred, what do you think of us helping you win the heart of Arthur?

**don'tmindtheidiot: **We await your answer.

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **You can't be serious, right?

**doilooklikeisparkle: **Alfred, you know what kind of people we are.

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0:** Still!

**4649: **I must admit I would like to hear you say it as well.

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **NOT YOU TOO

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **MATT, BACK ME UP HERE

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **No can do little bro. I want your answer as well.

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **You can't be

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **…

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **If you want the truth, then I honestly don't mind.

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **Ha!

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **BUT

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: ** Like what Arthur said, I choose who I want to date

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **And just to get you off of our backs, I'll prove to you that this relationship is never happening.

**don'tmindtheidiot: **How will we know that you've done something?

'

**don'tmindtheidiot: **…Hello?

**doilooklikeisparkle: **What are they doing?

**4649: **They haven't replied for quite a while now.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **You don't think that they're…?

**ConnoisseuroftheAges: **They're rather quiet at the moment, but then again, it's not like Matthew and I pay attention to the walls. We only ever notice anything coming from their room if they're too loud.

**don'tmindtheidiot: **Isn't that all the time?

'

**4649: **While it hasn't been too long a time, it is very unusual that Alfred has not said "brb" yet.

**Maplesyrup4lyf: **Yeah, just what are they doing?

**Nh3: **WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!

**don'tmindtheidiot: **Oh hey they're back.

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **See! I just made out with Arthur and he's totally indignant about it!

**ConneisseuroftheAges: **_Quoi?!_

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **So really, there's absolutely no chance of this ever happening.

**1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0: **So just leave us alone.

_1 4|\/| 7|-|3 |-|3r0 has logged off_

_Nh3 has logged off_

**doilooklikeisparkle: **…

**doilooklikeisparkle: **What in the world just happened.

''''''

Alfred closed his laptop with a satisfied grin. "Do you think that they actually believed us?"

"I think that you just confused them." Arthur turned off his laptop as well. "After all, if someone had just told _me_ that, I would've thought that they've lost their minds."

"Yeah, but you have to admit, I make an _awesome_ liar."

"I don't think self-proclaimed heroes should be proud of that."

"I'm no self-proclaimed hero; I _am _a hero." Arthur chuckled at that, but stopped when he saw the expression on Alfred's face.

"Alfred, are you okay?" Alfred turned to him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine…" Arthur must have looked skeptical then, because Alfred just sighed.

"Hey Arthur." Arthur widened his eyes. It was rare that Alfred sounded serious, and rare that he didn't call him by some nickname. "What do you think of me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well for one thing, you've told me that you think that I hate you. And for another, you apparently think that I toy with your emotions." Alfred sighed again. "And yet the things you do tell me that you genuinely care about me… although some of the things you've said tells me that you care about me in a different way…" He turned back towards Arthur. "Just what exactly do you think of me?"

Arthur didn't reply for a while. He actually didn't know what to think of Alfred. While it was true that he was on better terms with Alfred than before and still cared about him, he still couldn't help but be wary of him. It seemed that Alfred was ever-changing, and Arthur didn't know how to handle that. At one time, he had thought of him like a brother, but that had changed. At another time, he thought of him like an enemy, but that had changed. Now, he didn't know what to think of him.

He used to think Alfred was simple to understand. But that had changed.

"Al." Alfred looked surprised at Arthur calling him by a nickname. "I honestly don't know what I think of you. Brother, friend, enemy… I really don't know anymore."

"If I really did make out with you…" Alfred hesitated. "Would you really be indignant?"

Arthur thought on it. "Truthfully? I don't know."

"Would you like to try?" Alfred's voice was quiet.

Arthur thought back to that one time they had kissed. It had been brief and short, and even though it was meant to be something that told Arthur that Alfred didn't hate him, it still left Arthur confused. They had started over after that, but everything still seemed like a mess to Arthur.

"Arthur?" Arthur turned to him. He thought back to their argument. _Word versus actions…_

Wordlessly, Arthur nodded his head 'yes'.

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 18_

_P.S. Alfred's username is in leet speak. As for Arthur's, I will seriously applaud you if you understand it. It's probably the most obscure reference to a book I will ever make in my life (well, the movie of a book. I'm actually not sure if it was the same for the book as well, but it definitely appeared in the movie). By the way, his username uses chess notations, making his username mean "Knight to h3"_


	13. Eating Ice Cream

"I still find this whole situation seriously weird."

"Come on Matt, it's ice cream, lighten up!"

"Alfred, one would think that after last night, you'd be a lot madder at us."

"You're right Nicolae, but as long as none of you try to set us up together, both Alfred and I are on good terms with you all."

"On good terms with us _all_?"

"I apologize if I sound rude, but I don't think that Arthur meant it for you."

"I don't think any of us are in the position to complain. I mean, I wasn't too much of a part of this in the first place, but even I was worried that they would be mad at us…"

"Don't worry!" Alfred smiled at the black-haired teen. At the moment, all of them were in the common room, each of them holding a bowl of ice cream. Kiku, Francis, Arthur, and Damyan were sitting on the couch while Alfred and Nicolae sat on the floor in front of them. "You guys just need to keep to your word and that's all we ask!" He took a spoonful of his cookie dough ice cream and immediately devoured it.

This morning, Alfred had invited everyone for ice cream, which they received from the school kitchens. They had taken several ice cream containers (to the consent of the cooks. They were so used to giving the boys food by now that they didn't even bother to try to stop them) along with bowls and spoons and brought them back to the common room. Alfred was practically beaming throughout the whole time. He still was actually. Naturally, everyone was stunned at Alfred's attitude considering yesterday's events, but Alfred was much too happy to care.

As for the reason for his unnaturally happy mood, that would be…

"Although I think that for some of you, 'keeping your word' might be too much to ask." Arthur glared at Francis from the other end of the couch, the other of which was busy licking his fingers clean of vanilla ice cream. He didn't seem that different considering what they had done last night, but it was easy to tell that Arthur was avoiding looking at Alfred. It worried Alfred to some degree, but right now, he was basking in the joy he felt for making progress.

"Now that I think about it," Damyan said lightly as he took up another spoon of mint ice cream. "When in the world did you and Francis started hating each other?"

Matthew snorted as he took a spoonful of his mocha ice cream. . "They've been destined to fight ever since they were in the womb."

"That sounds like something you'd find in an RPG or something," Nicolae commented, waving a spoon with bits of cookies and cream on it. "But I believe that what Damyan wanted to know was how you two met each other."

"Ah, I believe that Arthur has mentioned this once to me before," Kiku said as he put down his spoon on a half-empty bowl of green tea ice cream. "If I recall correctly, Arthur had said something about living in the same house as him…"

"You what?!" Nicolae kept looking between Francis and Arthur. "I never expected to hear that! How can you live in the same place and not trash it?!"

"Actually, we all live in the same place." Matthew looked amused at Nicolae's reaction. "Have been since childhood actually. As for how they live in the same place without breaking the house, we have parents to thank for that."

"But I thought that all of you guys were born in different countries like us," Damyan said. "How'd you guys grow up in the same place?"

"While it is true that we have known each other for quite a while, we haven't known each other from birth." Francis wiped his hands on a handkerchief. "I for one was born in the _tres magnifique _country of France before business caused my parents to move."

"Business got my father to move from my home country of England as well," Arthur commented as he scooped up a little bit of chocolate ice cream from his bowl. "It was only by sheer coincidence that I ended up living at the same place as _that _abomination."

"Yeah, but neither of you guys would have met Al and me if you two had stayed," Matthew intervened before Francis could say a word. "And for the record, I was born in Canada."

Alfred held both of his hands up. "What, are we suddenly telling each other where we were born? I think everyone here already knows that I was born in America. But anyways," he added as he finished his ice cream. "Mom decided to share the house with these two's parents when they asked, which is how we grew up together."

"That makes sense." Kiku nodded his head. "Although I believe that the question was why Francis and Arthur are inclined to fight every time they see each other."

"It's not like they fight _all _the time." Everyone stared at Matthew. He shrugged. "Just 99.9% of it. That last 0.1% is at the rare times when they actually get along with each other. They're actually surprisingly close."

"What does that make us then?" Francis leaned forward to look at Matthew, who was sitting right next to Kiku. "We don't fight nearly as much."

"Would you stop hitting on my brother?" Alfred stood up. "He's off-limits!"

"'Off-limits'?" Francis raised an eyebrow. "I remember you saying that once, but it's not, as you would say, 'your call', now is it?"

"True, but it is mine." Matthew sighed exasperatedly. "And how many times do I have to tell you that I am _not _into Francis and that he _isn't _into me?"

"I don't know…" Damyan trailed off as he glanced at Francis, who was right next to him. "You two act differently around each other… Almost like Arthur and Alfred…"

Protests immediately arose at Damyan's words.

"I do _not _act differently around Francis!"

"In what ways do I act differently around Matthew? I believe that I act the same no matter which person I talk to."

"Just because two people act differently with each other does _not _mean that they are like a couple!"

"I don't care if it's not my place to say this, but keep off of my brother!"

"Guys, guys…" Nicolae put his hands up. "I thought that we got together because of Alfred's good mood. If we start fighting, we'll be ruining the happiness that got us together in the first place." He picked up his spoon. "I suggest that we make our peace and continue to eat ice cream." To emphasize his point, Nicolae spooned a helping of ice cream into his mouth. There was a temporary silence.

"Nicolae is surprisingly right," Arthur said at last.

"No kidding." Matthew looked like he was impressed.

"How come whenever I say something, it inevitably leads to an argument?" Despite his words, Francis sounded like he was joking. Even more surprisingly, no one said anything to that, although Arthur looked as if he was struggling.

"I totally agree." Alfred sat back down. "Ice cream makes everyone happy." He looked at his bowl, but then remembered that he already ate all of his ice cream… and that all the containers of ice cream were already finished. "Darn. Well, there goes my happiness…"

"Speaking of happiness…" Nicolae's eyes gleamed. "Why are _you_ so happy this fine morning?"

Alfred gaped at him as Damyan laughed. "I knew that was the reason you calmed them all down!" Nicolae smiled.

"Good call." He turned to, Alfred. "So your answer?"

"_That's _none of your business." Arthur spoke before Alfred could. "So he's happy, so what? He's like that all the time."

"I don't see why you have to confirm it for us," Francis said. "Did it have anything to do with you?"

"Maybe." Arthur's tone was light. "But I think he's happy because I finally paid off my debt to him."

"Hey wait a minute!" Arthur turned to Alfred, which was the first time today that he had met his eyes. "_That _didn't count. _That _was a request, which you accepted through your own volition!"

"What is '_that'_ in the first place?" Matthew turned to Arthur, who ignored him.

"I-I may have!" His face was tomato red. "But I thought that _that _counted!"

"I would have told you if it was _that_!"

"What in the world is '_that'_?!" Nicolae asked loudly. "Unless you guys are content with just throwing the word '_that'_ around, let me just tell you now that _that _is stupid."

"Pardon me for asking, but what exactly happened between you two?" Kiku asked. Alfred chuckled nervously.

"Err… Confirmation?" Arthur shook his head.

"Don't say it like that. Certain idiots here will misunderstand."

"'Idiot' he may be, but we're all misunderstanding now." Matthew laid his elbows on his knees and made a bridge with his hand, laying his chin on that bridge in a thinking position. "We have no idea what happened to you guys after you two logged off."

"It makes one wonder…" Francis said slowly. "…If you two meant your words last night."

"Oh, we meant them." Arthur seemed to bounce right back into his normal personality. "Leave me and Alfred alone."

"Once you tell us what 'confirming' you guys did last night." Arthur glared at Nicolae.

"Well…" Arthur turned to Alfred. "All that happened was that Arthur confirmed that he doesn't hate me." They all stared at him. After a while, someone spoke.

"You needed to confirm _that_?" Matthew chuckled in disbelief. "Just how dense can you be Al?"

"Hey!"

"Kid's got a point Alfred." Nicolae leaned back on the coffee table. "And I believe that we overused the word 'that' today."

"Agreed." Damyan nodded his head. "But anyways, even though Arthur can be mean to people, he obviously likes you."

"Perhaps Alfred only wanted what he said- confirmation," Kiku said. "Arthur _is_ the sort of person who doesn't make his feelings clear."

"Yes." Francis stroked his chin. "So that leaves the question of _how _you confirmed this."

"Pardon?" Arthur was taken aback. "I-it was just a simple confirmation, that's all."

"You seem oddly flustered about it."

"That's because you all are making such a big fuss about it!"

"I don't mind." Arthur semi-glared at Alfred. "Personally, I really don't mind it."

"I wonder what happened…" Matthew murmured. "…if it left Alfred in a good mood."

"Hey…" Damyan's voice was hesitant, as if he was trying to remember something on the tip of his tongue. "Didn't Alfred say that he made out with Arthur yesterday?"

"Yes, but it left him indignant. Although…" Francis looked intrigued. "...I don't recall hearing Arthur protesting anything of the like yesterday. While Matthew and I generally don't hear what you say, Arthur is a rather loud protester. If he truly protested, we would have heard."

"Did you guys make it up?" Nicolae kept switching his gaze between Arthur and Alfred. "Just to get us off your tail?"

"That certainly seems the case, now doesn't it…" Kiku was half-talking to himself.

"If you will…" Arthur's face was red again. "Can you please just drop it? While something did happen between me and Alfred, it was only for mere confirmation."

"You still owe me though," Alfred commented. "Since that was only a request."

"Why does he owe you?" Kiku asked. Alfred shrugged.

"Too lazy to explain it right now… Thanks for those costumes though."

"Excuse me?"

"You know what?" Damyan threw his hands up. "This is the weirdest ice cream get-together I've ever had in my life."

"It's you guys' fault that it turned out like this in the first place…" Arthur mumbled.

"Sorry Arthur, but it's just much too interesting discussing you and Alfred's love life."

"Nicolae, I have no idea what you mean." Normally, that would've annoyed Alfred or brought him down, but he had heard the trace amount of doubt in Arthur's voice. It really seemed like Alfred had a chance now. "And didn't we ask you to leave us alone already?"

"Arthur…" Matthew let out an amused sigh. "There's absolutely no way we're actually going to do that. Like it or not, you'll be stuck with us trying to get you guys together for a long time."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 17_


	14. Genderswapped

"England, what the hell did you do this time?!"

"America, can't you see that I'm trying to figure that out?!"

America's glare was stunning. They were standing right outside of America's house, the beautiful scenery contrasting to the charged atmosphere between the two nations. America stood at the door while England a few feet in front of him. Both were glaring at the other. "Honestly, this is what I get for eating your scones… This was probably an attempt on my life, wasn't it?!"

England rolled his eyes, his arms crossed across his chest, the bag of scones in one hand. "I'd rather not waste precious resources just to kill you."

"So you agree that you'd try to take my life!"

"I agreed to no such thing." He sent him a withering gaze. "And you really can't tell mockery if it punched you in the face, now could you?"

"Mockery or not, I'd rather not be stuck as a _girl_ for the rest of my life!" He… _She _gestured to his current appearance. America's current form had wavy, amber-colored shoulder-length hair with two star-shaped barrettes holding her bangs off her face. Like his old form, he still wore his bomber jacket, although his clothes had been curiously changed into a top that bared his midriff and exposed a great deal of his tracts of land, a short ruffled skirt completing the look. His glasses had somehow disappeared, leaving his blue eyes unframed. "Just what the hell did you do to these scones?!"

"If you haven't noticed, I'm trying to figure that out as well!" England gestured to his body. His current form had long pigtails that were completely straight, two X-shaped barrettes clipped on his left bang. He was wearing a blue dress with a white apron over that along with a matching white hat- one that he recognized was the garb of the female nurses of the NHS. For some reason, he had glasses on his face, despite the fact that he didn't have any vision problems. "And I'd be a fool to try to kill _you._"

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm perfectly killable!"

"I see that your idiocy has reached new heights." England sighed. "Just let me in the house. Any more arguing and we might raise a bigger racket than we already have."

"I don't know… You might do something weird again…" Still, America stepped aside to allow England inside his home. They started to walk through the wooden hallway, both of them keeping a distance from each other..

"What's all this about killing?" England still had his arms folded across his chest as he walked. Somehow, he couldn't help but notice that his rack was flatter than America's. "You haven't been playing another one of your idiotic video games, now have you?"

"_BioShock Infinite _is _not _a stupid game." America pouted. "And I think we're going to pass by a trash can soon. Feel free to throw your cursed scones in there."

"Are you mad?" England shook the bag of scones. "I have to investigate these scones to see what in them caused us to suddenly turn female."

"Isn't the answer obvious? You finally learned the secret art of creating the most horrible food alive, so horrible in fact that it caused us to be emasculated."

"You're just _begging _for me to hit you, aren't you?"

"I thought gentlemen didn't hit women?"

"I'm hardly a gentleman, now am I?"

"You got that right."

"I meant _right now _I'm not." They reached the living room. America turned to face him.

"Yeah, what you _are _right now is a loving girl!" England blinked.

"'Loving'?"

"That's not important!" America exclaimed. "Why'd you turn me into a girl in the first place?"

"I didn't _mean _to, it just _happened _when you ate the scone!" England sighed exasperatedly. "And if you haven't noticed, _I _was turned into a girl as well, so I'm in as much place to complain as you are!"

"You did this on purpose!" America insisted. "Why else would you call me to ask if I would like to taste some scones you made?!"

"You little-!" It took everything in England not to go hit America already. "I can't do something nice to you once in a while, is that it?!"

"Nice…?" America looked briefly stunned. "But then why'd you turn me into a girl?"

"You have a thick head, don't you…? Thicker than usual actually…" England sighed. "Look, I don't mean _any _ill will towards you, none whatsoever. So will you quit with the 'I'm-out-to-get-you' situations already?"

"But don't you hate me?"

"Hate you? Why in the world would I hate you?" England blinked at the genuinely bemused face of America. "While you are insufferable, I suppose that I don't dislike you by _that _much."

"That's a lie." England was stunned at the deadpan tone of America's voice. "_Definitely _a lie. If you really didn't hate me, why don't you make your feelings clear then?"

"My feelings clear?" England repeated. "What fee-?"

"That's why you turned me into a girl!" America slammed a fist down onto his palm, apparently having reached a conclusion. "Because you hated me as a male, you decided to turn me into a female!" He smiled in a somewhat knowing way. "I must say though, I didn't expect you to be the type that liked big-breasted women… Actually, I can see that…"

"Wh-wha…?" England blushed. "Will you stop with the nonsense?! I never meant to turn you into a girl!"

"Lies!"

"America, are you okay…?" America recoiled when England reached out to him. "You are a bit of an oddball, but even _this_ is a tad bit too weird for you…"

"It has to be a lie… you really do have to hate me…" America muttered under his breath, appearing to not have heard England at all. "I can't think of any other reason why you haven't let go of the past me…"

"The 'past' you…?" 'Confused' was an understatement of England's feelings. "What does our past have to do with this?"

"I'm still that to you right…? A 'brother'…" America laughed bitterly. "'Sister' in this case I suppose."

"America…" England struggled to formulate his words in a coherent form. "I admit that I'm still sore about that, but I don't think of you as a brother any more…"

"Then what _do _you think about me?"

"I…" England paused. "I really don't know."

"That's why you turned me into a girl, isn't it?" America snapped back into his aggressive personality. "Because girls are easier to understand, isn't that right?"

"America, I don't think either of us can say that in such a matter-of-fact way."

"True… so why did you change me into a girl?" America became dejected again. "Is it because girls are emotional…? I mean, I am emotional, but this is too much…"

"I wouldn't turn you into a girl for that reason! In fact, I didn't turn you into a girl at all!"

"Is this what your perception of romance is…? Well, I suppose it makes some sort of sense, but you don't care about sexuality, so why a girl…?" America let out a deep sigh. "Honestly, this is all so troublesome… Just why can't you see me as the man I am?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't turn you into a girl on purpo-?!"

"You didn't need to have gone so far as to turn me into a girl to prove your point…" America murmured. "Just why can't you see me for who I am?"

"America," England tried not to sound too exasperated or confused. "I _do _see you for who you are."

"Oh?" England got shivers when he saw the cold look on America's face. "Is that why you always shunt me to the side?"

"When did I do that?"

America didn't listen. "I don't want to be shunted to the side anymore…" He murmured. "But even though I'm becoming bigger and bigger, you ignore me…"

England took a step back. "You're not making any sense…"

"Yes I am!" Suddenly, it became harder for England to breathe. "You just haven't grasped the situation yet! I mean, you like literature, right?!"

"A… America…" The other ignored him.

"Symbolism, personification, whatever, can't you see what I am supposed to represent?" America shook his head. "So why…? How come you refuse to admit what's so obvious?" Black started to engulf England's vision. "Why can't you just see what's so plainly in front of you?" Something started to squeeze his chest. "Why can't you see that you like A-?"

"Aagh!" Arthur put a hand on his chest as he panted, his other hand absentmindedly running over his tangled hair.

_What in the…?_ His face flushed. _Was that… was that a dream?_

He sat up, one hand wiping away the sweat on his brow. _'America'… 'England'... Those are countries, right? _Arthur shook his head. _But the people in my dream were humans, not countries…_ He sighed. _I must be reading much too many books if I start envisioning countries as people…_

Arthur tried to steady his breath as he thought about the dream. _That 'America'… that had to be Alfred, right? The boy is American, and I can't think of anyone else who would represent 'America' in that dream... _He remembered a reoccurring part of the dream. _So why _did_ he turn into a girl with impressive… tracts of land?_

He looked at the other bed, seeing Alfred still asleep. Arthur's face flushed even more, remembering the events of last night when they... _Isn't it enough that I see him almost every day?_ Arthur lay back down on his bed and hid his face under his covers. _Apparently not…_

He turned to the side and watched the lump that was Alfred rise and fall as the other boy slept. _ If anyone had ever told me that the day would come when I would dream of Alfred, I never would have believed them…_ Arthur sighed again. _Note to self: never eat ice cream to bed ever again… _He crinkled his nose. _But then again, it's Alfred's fault that he snuck in ice cream during the night…_

His thoughts wandered back to the dream. _I wonder why I dreamt up such an odd dream? But then again, dreams don't have to exactly make sense, now do they? Still…_ Arthur bit his lip. _I feel like that dream meant much more sense than it seems…_

Arthur moved his gaze away from Alfred and towards the ceiling. _It's times like these when I genuinely feel as if I'm in a story… I mean, dreams aren't supposed to make that much sense, despite the fact that it was pretty weird… _He tried to remember his past dreams. _Then again, this is hardly one of my stranger dreams… _

Arthur turned on his bed again, his mind still focused on his dream. _I _really _must be reading too many books if my dreams make that much sense... Or maybe I'm just reading into what is just a silly dream…_ Somehow though, Arthur knew that that wasn't the case. Some part of him told him that the dream had some significance, and although it was strange, there had to be some sort of meaning into it. _Yup, _he thought. _I'm definitely reading into my dream too much… I should just go to sleep already…_

He closed his eyes, willing himself to fall back to sleep, but a thought kept him up. _Those last words 'America' said though… _Tiredly, his mind sought the last words that were uttered in his dream. _Those last words… _A ludicrous idea came into his mind. _Can… Can it mean…_

Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 16_

_P.S. And again, I made another obscure reference, this time to a Let's Play of a game I'm reading on the Something Awful forums. I will applaud you if you actually get the reference (for those of you who care, the hint is that the game was made in 2010, if my memory's right. Also, I was greatly confused by the use of 'gently caress' in the LP)_


	15. In a Different Clothing Style

"WHOAAAAAAH, WE'RE HALFWAY THERE~"

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOAH! WE'RE LIVIN' ON A PRAYER~"

"These two…" Arthur gripped his pencil hard, almost breaking the little stick in half. "OI! WILL YOU TWO SHUT IT?!"

Gilbert turned back towards Arthur and stuck out his tongue. Today, they were at the common room. Arthur was in the back, writing notes down from his textbook for an upcoming test. Meanwhile, Gilbert and Alfred had decided to spend their time playing their video games again, which somehow ended up in them singing. "Come on Kirkland, it's only two guys singing. What's the harm in that?"

"The _harm_ is that if I have to listen to your tone-deaf voices _screaming _an _American_ song, my ears will break down!"

"You didn't have to add the emphasis on the 'American song' part in there, did you…?" Arthur ignored Alfred.

"So will you two shut it already?!" Arthur turned back to his notes, only to find that for the last four minutes, he had been doodling pictures of… _Scones almighty, does he really have to invade my _thoughts _too?! If this was anyone else, I would've thought that they were in love with the boy. _He blushed. _N…not like I am, of course-!_

Arthur sighed and shut his textbook, gathering all his notes into one big stack. _'Scones'… obviously, my mind still hasn't moved on from that dream… Heh, I think that my writing has left me to start thinking of my mind as a separate entity…_ He shook his head, trying to keep his mind from straying like it normally did. _I wonder why I can't dispel that dream from my thoughts… I have a feeling that there's something important in there, but what…?_

"Oi, Kirkland." Arthur jumped as a hand slammed down in front of him. He looked up to see Gilbert leaning over him with a smirk on his face. "I've been thinking-"

"That's certainly a feat to accomplish."

"-that you're too uptight." Gilbert ignored Arthur completely. "Like those stoic policemen you find in movies-"

"What movies?"

"-so why don't we change that!" Again, Gilbert completely ignored him. "So how 'bout it?"

"How about what?"

"Rock-paper-scissors!" Gilbert grinned that psychotic grin of his.

Arthur carefully moved his papers to the side. "Beilschmidt… Just what the hell are you saying?"

"Care for a game?"

"If I win, will you leave me alone?" Arthur had meant it sarcastically, but Gilbert nodded his head.

"Sure! But if I win…" He merely kept on grinning. "So… A game?"

Arthur looked at Gilbert, his mind left in a state of bewilderment. _Eh,_ he thought. _What do I have to lose?_

'

_Apparently my sanity._

"…So that's why I need them!" Gilbert clapped his hand down on Kiku's shoulder. "The drama folk still have those costumes from that one play, right?"

"Well yes." Kiku still looked bewildered. Arthur couldn't blame him; if Gilbert had been running up to _him _in the hallways, he would've been surprised as well. It was only by sheer luck that they had found Kiku too; Gilbert had amazingly gotten lost on the way to the room the school newspaper used, yet he somehow managed to find Kiku in the hallway leading to the classrooms. "But I don't see why you would need them."

"He lost!" Gilbert jerked his head towards Arthur's direction. "In a game! So this is just the conditions of that loss!"

"You're not seriously going along with that, are you?" Arthur crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "And I don't remember ever agreeing to those conditions!"

"You accepted the battle, so you accepted the conditions with it!"

"You never even told me the conditions!"

"You still lost!" Gilbert nodded his head as if it was final. Arthur turned to the person next to him.

"_You _haven't said anything for a while." Alfred turned to look at Arthur. "And if I recall correctly, which we all know I have, you were the one right next to this idiot. Do you have any idea what this imbecile is going on about?" There was a pause before Alfred finally shrugged. He still didn't say anything.

"Well…" Arthur turned to Kiku again as the other spoke. "While it was unfair, I suppose that I could just go with you to make sure that Gilbert doesn't do anything too ridiculous."

"That's the spirit!" Gilber turned to Alfred. "That would work fine, right?"

_Huh?_ Arthur looked at Alfred as the other teen sighed. "Dude, _not _cool. Sidekicks aren't supposed to sell out their partners."

Gilbert grinned. "Ah, but this evens out the playing field a bit, doesn't it? Plus, you would have told him eventually, I just took the liberty of doing it for you! After all, the words sound more awesome coming from _me_, right?"

"I can't tell if you're psychotic or if you're helpful in the most roundabout way."

"Why can't I be both?" Gilbert took Kiku's arm and started to drag him along the corridor. Arthur and Alfred followed them, mostly out of concern for Kiku, who looked both vaguely surprised and uncomfortable. "Anyways, let's go! Plus, the look on Kirkland's face tells me that he would very much like to know why you took all these ridiculous measurements just to talk to him!"

"_Indeed."_ Arthur glared at Alfred as he tried to match the other's pace. Alfred said nothing.

"Come on you guys!" The pair looked forward to see Gilbert and Kiku several paces away from there. "Let's go!"

'

"Why in the world did I agree to this…?"

"_You're _questioning your actions? I don't know about you, but I'm seriously questioning why in the world I asked Gilbert for help."

"Why _did _you ask Gilbert for help?" Arthur lifted up a sleeve of the costume he was currently wearing. He was wearing a blue V-neck jumper over a white shirt and a black tie, a black belt tied around it at the waist. He also had on black trousers over black boots, the two materials looking as if they had merged together. Completing the look, he had on an old-fashioned police hat, one with a black and white checkerboard design running around it. Black gloves covered his hands. "More importantly, why did you have to ask him at all?"

"I only asked him to help me find a way to talk to you!" Alfred exclaimed, turning his back around to see what he was wearing. He was wearing a brown sheriff's jacket over a white shirt and a blue tie. Blue pants tied together with a brown belt made up the bottom half of his costume, the belt having an empty holster at its side. Like Arthur, black gloves also covered his hands, and instead of a police hat, Alfred had what looked like a cowboy hat strung around his neck. "You looked like you had something bothering you…"

"And why couldn't you just ask me what was wrong instead of doing something as ridiculous as this?" Arthur asked, trying to keep his voice down since they were standing in the dressing room hallway. At the moment, Kiku and Gilbert were somewhere nearby, both of them awaiting Arthur and Alfred's appearance (they had agreed to keep their distance if both Arthur and Alfred would put on the costumes). "I'm pretty sure that would have saved us a lot of time… and sanity for that matter."

"How could I if you kept ignoring me?" Alfred pouted. "Why in the world did you think Gilbert and I started singing? I've been trying to get your attention, but all you've been doing is ignoring me!"

Those words struck something in Arthur. "I… I haven't been..."

"Yes you have!" Arthur flinched at Alfred's insistence. "In fact, this is the first time today that you've talked to me! Well, minus that one time in the hallway, but you get what I mean! You've been shunting me to the side this whole time!"

A rather recent memory popped up in his mind. _"'Is that why you always shunt me to the side?'"_ "I… I wouldn't say 'shunting' exactly…"

"Arthur, are you okay?" Arthur recoiled when Alfred reached out for him. "You're acting a tad weird at the moment…"

"I…" The rest of his dream started to float up at him. Even though he couldn't remember a good deal of it, he finally managed to remember the most crucial part of it: the end. "A dream… I just had a weird dream last night and it's been bugging me…"

Arthur blushed as Alfred began to laugh. "Oh, is that it?" The other's voice held a mixture of relief and happiness. "The way you've been acting, one would've thought that you stole something or something... Well!" Arthur could practically hear Alfred smile. "That's that then!"

"You…" Arthur hesitated, his gaze turning to his feet. "You weren't worried for me, were you…?"

"Worried?" Alfred's voice was puzzled. "Of course I was worried! When a person you care about acts odd all of a sudden, one can't help but be worried, right? Especially if that person is a hero!"

"…" Arthur didn't reply. His thoughts began to race as fast as his heartbeat. He jumped a little bit when a hand fell on his shoulder.

"Hey…" He looked up to see Alfred looking down at him, eyes filled with concern. "Are you really okay? You're still acting a bit odd…"

"I…" Arthur bit his lip. "It's nothing… Come on, let's just get out of these ridiculous costumes already."

"You know, you didn't have to put them on." Some part of Arthur thought that Alfred had seen through his change of topic but had decided against calling it out. However, that would have meant that Alfred actually read the atmosphere, which Arthur found hard to believe. More words started to present themselves to him, words from a day quite some time ago. _"You know, he's really only like that to you…__To everyone else, he's an immature hero-lover who can't read the atmosphere for the world. To you, he suddenly becomes as complex as chess."_

"I mean…" By this point, Arthur was only half-listening to Alfred's words. "…Gilbert didn't want us to wear these costumes. He wanted those punk costumes, or those pirate costumes… He only settled on policemen because Kiku managed to talk him into it…"

Arthur remembered another thing that was said that day, although from a different person. _"You act as differently around Alfred as much as Alfred acts differently around you. In a way, it shows how close you two truly are."_

"…I wonder why he had us dress up in the first place? Was it for amusement? I wouldn't put it past him…"

Arthur's mind turned to how his friends had tried to bring them together. _ Do we… Do we really look like that to them? Do we really act that way to each other?_

"…is a bit too much. I mean, what was there to gain from dressing up? You know, we've been doing too much of that lately, dressing up…"

Finally, Arthur thought about some of the things Alfred had done… such as the most recent of things he had done, which had left him happy enough to throw an ice cream party… What's more, Arthur had even agreed to making ou-

"Arthur?" Arthur looked at him, having been snapped out of his thoughts. "Seriously, are you okay?" Somehow, the concern in Alfred's voice greatly suited his current outfit. He genuinely sounded as if he was worried for Arthur's wellbeing.

"Yeah, I'm…" Arthur gulped. His heart was speeding faster. "I'm okay."

Alfred frowned. "You've been saying that, but you've just been slipping back into your thoughts or something…"

Arthur chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm fine Alfred… As for my thoughts..." He shook his head. "Let's just change out of this, okay? Although it's a shame, I actually like these clothes…"

"Is that why you put them on?" Alfred grinned. "Good to see that we have the same reason. But… are you sure you're okay now?"

"Yeah." He brushed past Alfred and started to make his way towards a dressing room. "Let's just say that my thoughts have been rather interesting as of late… And that I've just realized something I haven't before…"

_The question is,_ Arthur thought. _Do I have it in me to tell him?_

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 15_


	16. During their Morning Rituals

"'I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!'" Alfred sat up, his hands outstretched like a zombie. "'So tell me what mortal needs my protection, Great Ancestor; you just say the word, and I'm there!'"

"Alfred…"

"'Let me say something- anybody who's foolish enough to threaten _our _family, VENGEANCE WILL BE _MINE!'"_

"Alfred!" He suppressed a chuckle as he turned to face his roommate. Arthur was rubbing his eyes sleepily as he sat up from his own bed. "Will you just shut it?! I don't need this in my mornings!"

Alfred beamed. "Come on Art, you have to admit that you've missed that!"

"And here I thought that you finally outgrew that habit…" Arthur sighed. "Why the sudden remembrance though? You haven't done that since, when, our childhood days or so?"

"Something like that, yeah." Alfred stroked the non-existent beard on his chin. "It wasn't usually movie quotes though- I'm pretty sure that I just screamed some random gibberish."

"It was. Why did you do that when we were kids anyways?"

"Your reactions were always hilarious."

"Be quiet, I just want to go to sleep again," Arthur grumbled as Alfred laughed. He had seen Arthur's embarrassment in the other's eyes. Quite frankly, it was cute. "Honestly, being around you is enough trouble for me as is…"

"How so?" Arthur mumbled something under his breath, but Alfred didn't manage to hear him. Shrugging, Alfred leaned back on his bed, his arms behind his head as he turned towards the alcove window. "It's such a nice day out… You want to hang out later or something? It would be a waste if we did nothing under this nice weather…"

While he expected a reaction from Arthur, he hadn't expected the other to visibly flinch. "…" While he hadn't spoken, it was like Arthur's silence had said something.

Alfred turned back towards the other, finding that Arthur was back under his covers. "Come on Artie, I know that you're not asleep."

"…"

Alfred frowned. It wasn't often that Arthur pretended to sleep in. He usually gave in whenever Alfred insulted him or called him by a nickname or some sort. "Artieeeeeee…. Wake uppppppp…."

"…ca' me th…"

"Excuse me?" Alfred put a hand by his ear. "Wha'ddya say?"

"D…tie..."

"Artie, you have to be a bit more cle-"

"Don't call me Artie!" Arthur finally snapped, turning around to face Alfred. "'Artie' is a ridiculous nickname! Just call me Arthur!"

Alfred smiled, glad to finally have caught his attention. "That's a bit of a handful to say, 'Arthur'…"

"It's only two syllables!"

"Still too much." Arthur scowled.

"How would you like it if I called you 'Alfie' or some other idiotic nickname?"

"I wouldn't mind," Alfred immediately answered with a smirk. "Not at all."

"You're hopeless." Arthur turned his back on Alfred and drew his covers over his body. "Now can you leave me alone? I've been up all night, and I'd rather just get some sleep."

"Were you reading another book?"

"No, I was just… thinking, that's all." Alfred's frown deepened.

"Hey, are you okay? You've been acting odd this past week…" Alfred furrowed his eyebrows. Lately, Arthur had seemed like he was lost in deep thought and he was zoning out more often. Also, whenever he looked or talked to Alfred, he looked as if he had something to say to the other teen, but had never quite gotten to saying it when they had to stop the conversation. It was puzzling to Alfred, and he wanted to know why Arthur was acting that way. He had tried everything (except enlist Gilbert's or anyone else's help) to get Arthur to tell him what was wrong, but none had worked.

"I'm fine, I'm fine…" Arthur grumbled. "Just leave me alone already…"

Alfred said nothing. Quietly, he got out of bed. He made his way over to Arthur's bed and crouched down so that he was on eye-level with Arthur. He poked the back of the other's head. "Oi."

Arthur jumped when Alfred's finger met his head but didn't turn to face him. "What did you do that for?!"

"You're acting weird."

"That doesn't mean that you can poke me whenever!"

"Say that to my face then, will ya?" Another pause, one that was not broken by an answer. Finally, Alfred sighed.

"I'll just go get breakfast then."

'''''

Both Alfred and Arthur were the type of people who ate breakfast every day. It may sound pretty normal, but there were people who actually skipped breakfast. Alfred never understood those kinds of people. Breakfast was the most important meal of the day, and he'd go too hungry if he went without it.

Even in their rockiest of times, Arthur and Alfred would always eat breakfast at the same time as the other, usually accompanied by Matthew or Francis or another one of their friends. Simply put, there had never been a day where one had eaten breakfast without the other. Normally, the two would go to the cafeteria and eat breakfast there. Sometimes though, one of the two would just bring their breakfast to their room, usually in times when one of them was too tired or too sleepy or too busy to leave the room. At those times, they would just stay inside the room and go about their business or they would chat with each other, the conversations varying from blunt and short to long and passionate.

Naturally, Alfred didn't get much of a conversation when he delivered Arthur his food.

"Oi." Currently, Alfred had two plates of food on each hand, two plastic forks held on the hand that was holding Alfred's breakfast, and a bottle of maple syrup against his armpit. He was standing over the other's bed. "If you want your pancakes to rot, that's fine by me, although that's a fine waste of food Mr. Student Council Prez. And don't ask me to eat it for you even though I would. 'Cause I wouldn't this time."

Alfred sighed when the other didn't respond. He could tell that Arthur wasn't asleep by how he was as tense as a board, so why was he ignoring Alfred? "Hey, I mean it... I won't eat it for you if you don't go and eat it right now…" Still nothing.

_Time for an alternative plan. _"You know, I have Matt's maple syrup right here."

That did the trick.

"There is no way that you have Matthew's maple syrup." Arthur sat up and turned towards Alfred. His eyes were round with disbelief. "He would have shredded you if you had."

"True, but it worked, didn't it?" It only took a few seconds for Arthur to realize what he had done.

"Bastard…" Arthur swore as Alfred handed him his plate of food. "Using a dirty trick like that…" Alfred shrugged.

"I find that the only way I can get your attention is when you're irritated or upset at me." Alfred handed Arthur a fork. He put his own breakfast and his fork on the nightstand, taking the maple syrup from his armpit and offered it to Arthur. "Maple syrup? I nicked it from the kitchen."

"More like you asked for it…" Arthur mumbled as he reached out his hand for the bottle of maple syrup. Their fingers brushed, and Alfred felt Arthur jolt at the touch. "Thanks for that…"

"No problem." Alfred picked up his plate of food again, his mind stuck on how Arthur had reacted. _That's strange…. Arthur has never acted like this to me before. I'm pretty sure that I was always the person who was like this…_ They started to eat their pancakes. An awkward silence enveloped between them.

"Sho…" Alfred started, his mouth full. The silence was unbearable. "Why a' shu aktin' jo weirdri?"

"Chew before you speak," Arthur chided lightly as he cut a part of his pancake. Alfred gulped.

"So why are you acting so weirdly?"

"Haven't you asked that to me before?"

"Multiple times, yes."

"And what has been my answer?"

"That you're fine." Alfred pointed at Arthur with his fork, a pancake bit stuck at the end of it. "That's a load of bull though. Something's been on your mind, something that's been bothering you a lot."

"I _have_ told you before that I've been thinking lately." A faint blush appeared on Arthur's face as he spoke. _Just what is he thinking about? _Alfred wondered.

"So you weren't before?" Alfred quipped in reply. "Seriously though, what's been on your mind? If it was school work, you'd be complaining."

"It's not school work."

"Student Council President work?"

"No."

"Then what is it?" Alfred gulped down another bite of his pancake. "It doesn't have to do with that dream of yours some time before, does it? Because if it does, then I don't see why a dream would shake you up so much…"

"It didn't 'shake me up', per se, more like it made me realize a few things…" Arthur paused before he stuffed another pancake piece into his mouth.

"What exactly was that dream about anyways?" Alfred asked, finishing his pancakes with a gulp. "You never told me."

"Well…" Arthur's blush deepened. "Apparently, we called each other by the names of countries… as if we were the countries themselves…"

"Which country was I?" Alfred tilted his head in curiousity. "Please tell me that I was America."

"Naturally." Arthur chuckled a bit before continuing on. "Apparently, I was England."

"That makes sense… Although I don't see why it shook you up so much. Even though we being countries are a bit outlandish, it was a dream, so it's natural that it's weird!"

"Yeah…" Arthur looked lost in thought again. After a while, he snapped back into focus. "Yes, but that wasn't what was weird about it… You see, I…" He bit his lip. "…Apparently, we had turned into women in my dream," he said finally. Alfred blinked.

"I can see why the dream shook you up," Alfred said at last. "If you don't mind me asking, why were we women in your dream? They say that dreams are connected to your subconscious or something, so if you secretly want to be a woman or something…"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Arthur said exasperatedly. "And didn't you say that dreams could be weird? I don't understand it much myself, but at the very least, I hadn't dreamt that we were stark naked."

"True… But you still haven't said what in the dream made it stick to you."

"I…" Arthur bit his lip again. He absentmindedly started to play his food with his fork. "It's what I learnt from the dream that stuck with me…"

"Educational dreams?" Alfred raised an eyebrow. "You need to lay off the school, dude."

"It didn't have anything to do with school!" Arthur sighed. "Look, I'm doing fine, all right? I just have some things on my mind because of some dream, that's all."

"Okay…" Alfred hesitated. "But hey, if that dream keeps on bothering you, I'm here, okay? After all, I want to know why we were turned into girls in the first place."

"Heh, if you can, can you please refrain from asking why we were turned into girls? I had enough of that in the dream," Arthur said with a small smile. "Nice use of words there by the way."

"Actions are still better, even though words can be pretty effective." An idea popped into Alfred's mind. "And I think I just thought of a thing for you to do for that favor of yours…"

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 14_


	17. Spooning

_Having never been in the Student Council, I'm making this stuff up. But then again, I don't always have to be accurate, right?_

_P.S. lovemondotrasho _actually _got the reference in chapter 12. Normally I wouldn't say this in a post-note, but that's just impressive. Same goes for anyone else who figured it out_

* * *

"…And I don't know what to do!" Arthur finished.

Francis patted his shoulder. "You are wise to come to me, _mon ami._"

"'_Mon ami'_ my arse, you just happened to be the nearest person I could rant to." Arthur shook off the other's hand. Both of them were in the Student Council room, both having coincidentally decided to work on some things in there. The room looked almost like an office, with a carpeted floor, big windows with pulled off curtains, and rather dark wooden walls. Arthur was sitting behind his desk, a laptop in front of him as he worked. Francis was overlooking his work, occasionally commenting on something he did once in a while. While they were supposed to be working, both of them somehow ended up talking along the way. "Really though, what in the world am I supposed to do?"

"You could always go the direct way and just tell him." Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Do you think that I've never thought of that?" He said as he drummed his fingers on the desk. "But I can never find the right time to tell him… It doesn't help that the boy is absolutely ridiculous. Have you heard the way he woke me up this morning?"

"Ah yes." Francis started to stroke the facial hair on his chin. "It was a movie quote, was it not? It woke Matthew and I up as well. Can't say I enjoyed it…"

"That boy spends too much of his time with media," Arthur complained. "Video games, movies… He practically lives with seated on the couch with a pile of junk food! And yet somehow, he manages to keep those muscles of his."

"Doesn't he have a six-pack?"

"How should I know?!" While he had seen the boy shirtless before, it had never occurred to him to notice those kinds of things nor care that the other was shirtless. Now though… Inadvertently, Arthur blushed.

Francis smirked at his expression. "Ah, _l'amour_. It is a most wondrous thing, hm?"

"Sod off!" Arthur scowled at him. "I can't believe I'm actually talking to you about this…"

"Weren't you the one who said that I was the closest person to rant to?" Francis laid his arm to the side of Arthur's laptop and leaned closer to the table. "Fate has brought you to talk about love to the person who knows best- after all, I was born in the _pays de l'amour_."

"I don't know why I even bother with you anymore." Arthur sighed as he brought his head down on his hands. "I don't know what I should do though. I'd like to tell him that I don't exactly reject his feelings, but I can never get to say that out loud…"

"You can barely say it to me," Francis snorted. "By the way, how did you come to this revelation in the first place? Someone as slow as you never would have reached to a conclusion like this without some effort."

"I have half a mind to punch you." He heard Francis chuckle. "But it was a dream I had recently that spelled it out to me."

"So even your subconscious believes that you should be with Alfred."

"It was a _dream._"

"And dreams are related to the subconscious." Arthur flushed as he remembered Alfred saying something like that. _I've fallen hard, haven't I? _He thought. _Or was I always like this when it came to Alfred…_ "Honestly, it's a wonder how you haven't reached that conclusion sooner if you yourself want it."

"Are you trying to help me or not?" Arthur looked up from his hands. "It doesn't matter how or when or why I had that revelation; what matters is how I reveal said revelation."

"Scream it to the heavens. It would save us all a lot of pain as well as provide entertainment."

"You're just begging for me to hit you, aren't you?"

Francis chuckled again. "All silliness aside, you really should just make yourself clear when it comes to your feelings. One can easily misunderstand your feelings, and we all know that Alfred can read feelings as well as he can read Latin." He looked Arthur in the eye. "Just make sure that you convey your feelings.

Arthur paused for a minute before he groaned. "I feel like such a girl, having this 'feelings' talk with you… That reminds me, Alfred still has yet to tell me what I'm supposed to do to pay off that favor I owe him. He never got to tell me what it was this morning before we went our own ways…"

"Oh?" Francis raised an eyebrow. "I wonder how exactly he will have you repay him… It should be interesting, no?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "What are you saying?"

"Nothing, nothing." Francis waved a hand in dismissal, a smirk still on his face. "Although it might be best for you to go find out what that favor is as quick as you can. You want to spend as much time as you can, do you not?"

"_Francis…_"

"I jest, I jest." Francis put both of his hands up. "But why don't you go find him already? I'm sure that whatever it is, it will be a night to remember."

''''

Arthur was halfway done with his book when Alfred decided to return to their room. It wasn't too late at night, but it was late enough that people had already started to sleep. He flipped another page of his book, unaware that Alfred had arrived.

"Which book is it this time?" Arthur looked up to see Alfred in front of his closet. "And shouldn't you be asleep already?"

Arthur waved a hand in dismissal. "You don't have to worry, I won't stay up past my bedtime. Honestly, you'd think that you were my mother."

"Hey, I only say that because you act like a drunkard when you're dead tired. It's a handful dealing with you. Makes me wonder how you'd act if you were actually drunk…" Alfred started to remove his school clothes, starting with his vest and his shirt. Arthur tried to bury his face in his book, but he couldn't help but look.

_Well I'll be. _ His eyes took in the shape of Alfred's body. He could barely see it, but…_ He really does have a six-pack._ Arthur shook his head and then focused his eyes back on the book, reading but not reading at the same time.

"I do _not _act like a drunkard," he said, hoping his voice sounded calm.

"Want me to videotape you one of these days? You can't deny it when you have solid proof." Arthur heard him plop on his own bed, a sure sign that he was fully dressed now. "By the way, about that favor…"

Arthur closed his book and put it away. He sat up and turned towards Alfred, who was on his side as he spoke to Arthur. "Yeah? What is it that you want me to do?" The other didn't speak for a while. "Alfred?"

"Err…" Alfred started to trace random symbols on his bed sheet. "Will you… Will you sleep with me?" He blurted out.

_Well damn._ Arthur blinked._ Francis was right. _"Alfred… _what_ did you just ask me?"

"I-I didn't mean it like t-that!" Alfred said quickly in a flustered manner. "I-I meant to ask i-if you'd like to sleep on the s-same bed as me!"

Arthur relaxed. _Or not._ "Like how we used to when we were young?"

"Exactly!" Alfred's face was faintly red. "I wouldn't ask you to do this, but that dream of yours has been bugging you for a while, so I thought that it might ease you if you…"

"I see." Arthur interrupted, hoping his voice didn't betray how fast his heart was beating. "So is that what you want me to do?"

"Yeah…"

"I'm not in any place to say no, am I?" Arthur got off his bed and started to make his way to Alfred's, his heart hammering in his chest. _You can do this Kirkland…_ he thought to himself. _You've managed to do this before, you can do this now…_ Even as he thought that, Arthur knew that this wasn't the same as it had been before.

Alfred scooted away to make space for Arthur, which Arthur took. It was a tight squeeze. "Well," he said as he reached out for the lamp on the nightstand. "Good night Al."

"Good night Art."

He turned off the lights and laid back on the bed. He turned on his side, making sure that he was facing away from Alfred, as the other drew the covers around them. They lay in silence for a while, their backs pressed to each other.

_Well,_ Arthur thought. _This is rather awkward._ "You've grown big," he said, trying to ease the tension. "In many ways. Why, I can barely fit in this bed because of how big you are."

"Is that a fat joke? I knew I was gaining weight…"

"That's your fault. And you're not really in the position to think that you're fat when you have a six-pack," Arthur replied without thinking. Then he realized what he'd just said. "Not that I would know of course."

"Yeah…" More silence. Arthur tried to fall asleep, but he couldn't help but notice how Alfred was right there beside him.

"This might have been a bad idea…" Arthur murmured. "I shouldn't have agreed to this…"

"It's not like you could have disagreed. We agreed that you couldn't."

"Still, we're going to lose sleep like this."

"How about like this then?" Alfred shuffled as he moved. It didn't take long until Arthur felt Alfred curled around him, one arm wrapped around his tummy, the other one probably under the pillow.

"Are you..." Arthur was glad of the darkness. It made it harder for Alfred to see how hard he was blushing at the moment. "Is this…"

"Well, it's too cramped for us to have any other position…" Arthur tensed when he felt the other's breath on his skin. _This is too much._

"Still, this is…" Arthur sighed. Without speaking, he snuggled in closer to Alfred. "There. Now it's more comfortable."

Alfred didn't say anything. Neither did Arthur. Both of them found themselves in silence again.

"Hey…" Alfred started slowly. "You… Have you ever forgiven me? For that one time…"

Arthur thought a while. "I'm still sore about it to be honest. Naturally what you had said had given me a jolt." He took a breath. "But I'm willing to give you another chance. Hell, I wouldn't even let you do this if I hadn't."

"You couldn't have said 'no' either way, you know." Underneath his somewhat irritated tone, Alfred had sounded relieved. "We should do this more often."

"Are you kidding me? Anymore and I might get a heart-attack…" Alfred hugged him tighter.

"How come?" Arthur blushed even harder. "Hey, your ears are red…"

"How can you tell?"

"I just know."

"Idiot, whose fault is that?" Pause.

"Wait, this is my fault?!" Arthur winced.

"Keep it down! You're going to wake someone up!"

"Okay, okay…" Alfred lowered his voice, but he still sounded dazed. "So you're blushing because of me? And you actually noticed that I had a six-pack?"

"You don't have to say it out loud, you idiot…"

"Mm, yeah…" Arthur blushed even harder at the happy tone in Alfred's voice. "You do realize that I'll find a way so that we can do this more often, right?"

"Shut it you cheeky brat, and just go to sleep."

Arthur felt the other smile. "Good night old man."

"Just go to sleep Jones."

Neither of them said anything after that. It took a while, but they finally managed to sleep. Even though Arthur had fallen into a deep sleep, he could feel Alfred right next to him throughout the whole time. It was the most restful night he's had in ages…

And it was certainly one he wouldn't forget.

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 13_


	18. Doing Something Together

Arthur woke up feeling well-rested. _That was a good night's rest... One of the best ones I've ever had, I daresay. _He flushed when he remembered the situation he was in. _I can't believe that we actually managed to sleep like that... I mean, it was never much of a problem when we were younger, but now it's just... And he actually wants us to do this more..._

Alfred made a noise and squeezed Arthur momentarily. Arthur flushed even darker. _One way or the other, this boy will be the death of me..._ Still, Arthur couldn't help but feel comfortable in Alfred's arms.

They stayed like that for a while, Alfred in blissful sleep and Arthur just basking in the relaxed atmosphere. Sometime later, Alfred woke up.

"Nng..." Alfred mumbled sleepily. "Wha' time iz it?"

"Time for the both of us to get up now that you're awake." Alfred hugged Arthur even tighter and wrapped his legs around his, preventing Arthur from leaving. "Alfred, we can't stay in bed forever," he said exasperatedly.

"But I don't wanna..." Alfred whined. "Can we just spend the day like this? You don't mind, right?"

"Filthy and in close proximity with each other? I'd rather not." Not like Arthur was actually opposed to the idea. He didn't mind, but it was just much too embarrassing if they stayed like that. Someone might come in, and Arthur didn't know how long he could handle staying in Alfred's arms like that. Meanwhile, Alfred buried his face on Arthur's neck.

"True, but this is one of those rare times I have a right to enjoy."

"You can't possibly mean that."

"Why not? You have to admit that it's unlikely that you'll let me do this again."

"I meant the right to enjoy, not the rare times part. We all know that I won't let you do this again."

"Exactly why I have a right to enjoy this, especially since you're acting mad adorable." Arthur reddened.

"Were you always this sweet? Now that I think about it, we haven't been bickering nearly as much as we had been before."

Alfred scoffed. "I've always been sweet when it came to you." He paused before he continued, his voice coming out cheerful yet laced with sadness. "The only reason that I argue with you so many times because is the only way you'd notice me... That, and teasing you is something I've always done, since your expressions are so priceless."

Arthur ignored the quip about his expressions. "Only way I'd notice you? Why would I ignore you?"

"Well, you remember that incident, right?"

"How can I forget?" Arthur remarked bitterly. "The person you've cared about like family tells you that the possibility of being brothers was something basically synonymous with death? Those sorts of things tend to leave a mark on someone."

"I meant it though," Alfred said quietly. "Even though they get along and people want it to happen, I didn't want my mother and your father to marry. I never did actually. I can't even begin to tell you how relieved I am that they only regard each other as close friends. Being your brother is something I have never wanted in my life and never will."

Arthur bit his lip. "Thanks for reminding me Jones, thanks for reminding me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get out of bed and go about my day." Alfred tightened his grip as Arthur tried to leave.

"Arthur, you really have to let me finish," Alfred said with a faint hint of annoyance. "Don't get me wrong, I do care immensely for you, but not as a brother."

"Then how do you care about me?" Alfred thought on it for a while.

"I'm not sure when exactly I started to feel this way, to tell you the truth," he answered slowly. "You were sort of like a father-older brother figure of sorts to me as I grew up. But that changed."

His voice became quiet. "Anyways, after that incident, you started to ignore me. I tried everything I could to get your attention, but you just wouldn't listen. You're a proud person Arthur, so I knew that if I insulted you, you wouldn't have ignored me then." Alfred chuckled bitterly. "I'm the worst, aren't I? Even if I made sure that things were somewhat better after our fights, I should have waited until you calmed down. The problem was, I didn't know if you would still stay by my side after that incident, and I didn't want to lose you."

Arthur was silent. Quite frankly, he was stunned. _There really is more to this boy than meets the eye, huh..._ What made it worse was that Arthur didn't even know himself if he would have been able to face Alfred after that time if he had not fought with him so much. He had felt shattered at that time. He couldn't handle looking at Alfred afterwards since he believed that the other hadn't cared about him as much as he had cared for Alfred. It was heartbreaking to think that it was only he who actually loved the other. The only reason he could face Alfred after that time was because he had to defend his pride whenever Alfred fought with him. While that hadn't improved their relationship, it at least made them be able to face each other.

"I don't like fighting with you Arthur. I think I've told you that before," Alfred continued on. "If I could, I wouldn't have fought with you after that, but I didn't want to risk losing you. I know that there could have been better ways, but I was desperate. I couldn't stand the thought of us separating on a bad note and you not being able to face me anymore, but it doesn't change the fact that it was despicable... And then that fight," his voice became miserable. "The one we had a while back that caused us to fight for three months... I know that I had hurt you when I told you that I never wanted to be your brother, but I hadn't known that you were _that_ hurt by it..."

"I don't really remember what happened in that fight or most of what we had said to each other, but I do remember that I just blew up. You kept going on about that incident and how you really wanted us to be brothers, but being brothers is something that I will never want in this life. At that time, I was frustrated at how you refused to take in what I was trying to tell you. By then, I was tired of having to hide everything. I just wanted you to notice already that I..." Alfred hesitated. "...that my feelings for you had already changed."

Arthur didn't say anything for a while. It was a lot for him to take in. After a while, he gently entangled Alfred out of him and turned to face him. "Alfred... I'm not going to deny anything that you've said. But it's just as much my fault as it was yours. I know that I was hurt, but I shouldn't have thrown our relationship away like that. I don't know if I could ever have recovered or if I would even be able to face you after that incident. While what you did certainly wasn't the best idea, it was one that got me to actually face you, which I might not have been able to do if you just left me alone."

"I'm not going to deny that because of that incident, I have been intensely wary of you. I always distanced myself from you, since I kept thinking that you would hurt me like you did before. That fight we had recently... I believe that it started as a regular fight, but somehow mention of that incident came, and I..." Arthur gulped. "Look, what I'm trying to say is that I should have trusted you more. Even if you didn't want to be my brother, I should have trusted that you still cared about me. It was because of my lack of trust that you had to act like that in the first place, and for that, I truly apologize."

"Arthur..." Whatever Alfred was going to say, he seemed to have thought against it. "What's past is past," he finally decided to say. "We both made mistakes, some more than others, but that's in our past. We have to look to our futures now. After all, we did agree that we were going to start anew, right?" He let out a small, nervous smile at those words.

Arthur returned his smile. It was cliché, but he actually felt as if a heavy weight was taken off of his shoulders. "Yes. Yes we did agree on that. I'm glad that we did."

"You know, I'm glad that I've finally told you that," Alfred looked immensely relieved. "Mind you, I'll still poke fun of you, but at least you know now that I don't pick fights with you for fun."

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" Arthur chuckled. Alfred joined in with him, and somehow it turned into laughter.

"Hey," Alfred said when they had calmed down. "School's rather close to ending, right?"

"Not exactly, but yes."

"You'll be spending the summer with us, right?"

Arthur made an amused yet exasperated noise. "Naturally. I don't know if you've forgotten, but I happen to live with you."

"I could never forget that." Alfred grinned before it fell. "But anyways, do you mind sleeping in my room instead of your room?"

Arthur raised his eyebrow. "Alfred, I already sleep in your room here at school. I might as well move in with you."

"Technically, you already have," Arthur chuckled at his answer. "But you're definitely spending the summer with us?"

"As I've said before, I don't have much of a choice. I live with you after all. I can't exactly spend the summer without you."

"True. So will you do it?"

"Perhaps," Arthur answered airily. Alfred beamed.

"That's settled then!" Alfred got off and then stretched. "At any case, we should probably get out of bed already. We've stayed in here long enough."

"Agreed." Arthur grunted as he got up. "Although it's a certain somebody's fault that I couldn't have left sooner..." Alfred chuckled.

"Hey, we're doing this again tonight, so you should really just get used to it."

Arthur paused. "Wait, you actually meant that before?!"

"Of course!" Alfred answered with a broad grin. "It was fun, wasn't it?"

Arthur blushed. "Well, yes, but I still don't see why I have to do it again!"

"Come on, did you really expect me to not do anything now that we've cleared up some bad blood in our relationship?"

"Yes actually, I do." Despite his words, Arthur cracked a grin. "Why do I have the feeling that you're monopolizing me more?"

"Because it's true." Alfred said cheekily before turning serious. "You know, I meant it when I said that I cared immensely about you."

Arthur averted his eyes and ran a hand over his hair. "Of course I would know... I feel the same way of course." Beat.

"Huh?!" Arthur blushed at the other's surprised tone.

"Why in the world are you so surprised?" He started to make his way for his closet. "Come on, we have to go take a shower already. Let's just get our clothes already and go."

"Huh? H-hey wait a minute!" Arthur was stopped when Alfred grabbed his wrist. "Repeat that again!"

Arthur didn't turn back to face him. "Repeat what again?"

"You know what I mean!"

"Alfred, you know already that I care for you as well."

"_Arthur..."_ This time, Arthur did turn around to face Alfred.

"I feel the same way of course," he repeated, rolling his eyes as he did so in an attempt to look sarcastic. It might have worked if he hadn't been blushing. Alfred grinned when he was done.

"Yup, I'm _definitely_ going to be monopolizing you more."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 12_


	19. In Formal Wear

_P.S. I've never gone to one, so I'm making this all up. Just a heads-up for people who've actually gone to one._

* * *

"Honestly Kiku, this is too much..."

"It's fine. My mother wanted to thank you for helping her with the cosplay business, so this is just repayment."

"Still, I feel bad for taking this for free..."

"Just consider the free price an apology for sending my mother you and Alfred's measurements without consulting you two," Kiku insisted. They were at one of the larger rooms in World Academy W. The ceiling of the room was made of a dark wood, a large chandelier lighted with candles at its center. The floor was carpeted in red with gold edges, the material soft to the feet. Large, rectangular windows with the red and white curtains pulled to the side offered a view to the darkening surroundings. At the front of the room was a small stage where a DJ stood with his equipment, who at the moment playing some upbeat music. Round tables with white tablecloths were scattered around the room, although there was enough space left for a good amount of students to be able to dance. At the side of the room was a large table filled with all kinds of food, such as punch and a turkey. Students in formal wear milled around the room, some dancing, some eating, some chatting; teachers were also scattered around as they observed the students, although they were having some fun as well. As for Arthur and Kiku, both of them were at the back of the room, neither one wanting to be with the main crowd. "I wanted to pay you two back in a more conventional way, and I had wanted to keep it as a surprise."

"As pleasant as a surprise this is, it's just too much." Arthur protested for what was the hundredth time that evening. He was wearing a black, buttoned, single-breasted jacket with a pocket on the bottom left, his phone inside said pocket. Under his jacket, he wore a white cotton dress shirt with a turn-down collar and an emerald green tie. Additionally, he wore black straight-cut trousers with shiny black shoes, shoes which he had cleaned that morning. "Really, I could just make do with the suit I inherited from my father..."

"I apologize if I sound impertinent, but didn't you tell me that that one was a tad bit too big?" Kiku said. He was wearing a buttoned single-breasted, one button black jacket with a shawl collar and black pocket squares on both the left and right sides of the jacket. Under his jacket, he wore a cotton wing-tip collar dress shirt with and a black tie. Finishing the look, he wore pleated trousers and black dress shoes. "We have a saying for this: '下さるものなら夏でも小袖'."

"I haven't the foggiest idea of what you've just said."

"I believe that the English parallel would be 'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.'"

"It's not that I'm ungrateful, it's just that this might be a little too much," Arthur explained with a sigh. "Suits are rather expensive, and we didn't even do much to help you that time. Being given a suit for free is something that I simply cannot accept."

Kiku smiled one of his rare smiles. "I assure you Arthur, you and Alfred were very helpful. After all, I needed someone's measurements to make the clothes in the first place, and you two provided them to me. Without you two, I wouldn't have been able to fulfill my mother's request, and for that, I thank you."

"You're making a big deal out of this..." Nonetheless, Arthur was pleased. "It _is_ a fine suit though... Be sure to thank your mother for me, will you?"

"I will."

"There you guys are!" A voice exclaimed as it made its way towards them. Arthur and Kiku turned to see Nicolae walking up to them. He was wearing a black single-breasted jacket with a shawl collar, the jacket unbuttoned to show off his dress shirt. He wore black straight-cut trousers and sitting atop the side of his head was his familiar little hat, except this hat had two ribbons coming off of it, one red and one yellow. What really made his attire stand out was his yellow tie, which seemed out of place compared to his dark clothes. "I've been looking for you guys everywhere!"

"He means it you know." Damyan followed closely behind him. He was wearing a single-breasted jacket with a peaked lapel, one pocket square on the left side of his jacket. He also had on white cuffs with one small round cufflink pinned on each cuff. His trousers were pleated, and careful observation told Arthur that the pleats were pristine, as if they were brand new. The tie he had on was a somewhat dark olive green, a color somewhat out of place yet fit Damyan perfectly. "I can't tell you how tired I am right now."

"It's you guys' fault for hanging at the corner here," Nicolae said jokingly. "I mean, this place is huge and there're people everywhere!"

"It is a school dance," Kiku pointed out. "People are supposed to be everywhere, and to accommodate for the masses of people, the room has to be huge."

"We could just do away with the whole thing. You know, I still don't get why the school has to schedule school dances. They all seem rather stupid to me," Damyan commented. "I mean, I know it's to bring students together and stuff, but what exactly does school spirit have to do with us? Plus, it's _prom_."

Arthur shrugged. "It's tradition for World Academy W to hold dances, but I don't see much reason for it myself. The male students here outnumber the female students for whatever reason, so it's more difficult to get a partner for such things."

"Arthur, haven't you learned that basically everyone here is bisexual until proven gay?" Nicolae said with a laugh. "Sexuality is hardly a concern. What _is _a concern is whether or not the other person will accept."

"That reminds me, have any of you guys been asked?" Kiku shook his head at Damyan's question.

"I had come simply because Feliciano had begged me to. Speaking of Feliciano..." Kiku's eyes looked past Damyan. "I believe that that is him right there. If you will excuse me, I would like to inquire of his progress with Ludwig." Dipping his head, Kiku scurried away, leaving Arthur with Nicolae. Nicolae turned to Arthur, his eyes gleaming.

"Speaking of couples-who-are-yet-to-be, how's it going with Alfred?" Arthur shrugged.

"It's been going fine actually. While we have been on rather good terms for a while, we managed to make our peace with some things and have been on better terms ever since."

"What kind of things?"

"Things that has caused us to argue before." Damyan sighed.

"You know what? I'm tired, let's just cut to the chase: have you confessed yet?" Arthur blushed.

"No... I never really found the opportunity to..." he mumbled. Nicolae sighed this time.

"Has Alfred even asked to take you out for prom?" Arthur shook his head.

"The only reason I'm here is because both me and Francis had helped. He hadn't asked me at all." Arthur tried to keep the bitterness off his voice. He didn't want to admit that he had been hoping for Alfred to ask him, especially since they had cleared up that issue of theirs. He knew that Alfred liked him to some extent, and the boy himself had told Arthur that he would start monopolizing Arthur more. And yet, he hadn't done anything after that day and had acted the same as before. He hadn't even mentioned prom to Arthur. Normally Arthur wouldn't have cared, but Alfred was always one to express his affections. Prom was one of the bigger ways to do that, and he had skipped out on it.

Well, skipped out on being with Arthur.

Before either Nicolae or Damyan could reply, a dark-brown haired teen with a long curl sticking out the right side of his head approached them.

"Nicolae, have you seen my idiot _fratello_ anywhere?" Lovino asked him. He was an Italian boy with an olive complexion and light brown eyes. For today, he was wearing a black double-breasted jacket with a peaked lapel. His dress shirt had a turn-down collar and hanging from it was a carmine red tie. His trousers were pleated and his dress shoes were Italian, unsurprising coming from him. "I think he's been hanging around that potato bastard again."

"He has been." Damyan smiled with exasperation. "Honestly Lovino, you should really just get used to the fact that those two like each other." Lovino scowled.

"I wasn't asking you, was I?"

"Back off Vargas," Nicolae said in a dangerously low tone. "But anyways, great timing!" He said mere seconds later, returning to his normally cheery tone. "You're just the guy we need!"

Lovino raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"How did you and Antonio confess to each other?" Lovino immediately became the color of a tomato.

"Wh-why do you want t-to know?!" He demanded, almost pulling off sounding indignant had he not been blushing. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"He thinks it might be able to help me with my predicament."

"Your predicament?' Lovino turned to Arthur. "You mean that thing you have with Alfred? ...You guys aren't a couple?!"

"That's exactly what we're trying to fix!" Damyan said before Arthur could react to Lovino's words. _Do we really seem like a couple to them...? _Arthur thought. _But he didn't even bother to ask me for prom... I don't care much for it, but..._ "And we think that you're the guy who can help!"

"Why me?" Lovino asked, scowling. "Why should I help Eyebrows over here?"

"Because 'Eyebrows' and you are rather similar, and you guys' chosen partners are rather similar as well," Nicolae stated bluntly.

"I'm nothing like him!" Both Arthur and Lovino exclaimed at the same time.

"Just don't say anything Lovino." Arthur glared at Nicolae, who was smirking. "Alfred didn't even ask me out for prom, and seeing as Alfred's the type of person who displays their affections any time they can, it means that while he does care for me more than the average person, he doesn't care for me like a-"

"Ladies and gentleman!" An all too familiar voice blasted through the speakers hung on the walls.

"Please don't tell me he's doing what I think he's doing," Arthur said with a growing feeling of dread and hope.

Everyone turned to see Alfred standing on the stage right next to the DJ, a mike on his hands. He was wearing a midnight blue single-breasted, unbuttoned jacket with a notched lapel. His midnight blue trousers were pleated and had pockets while his shoes were a dark brown. The tie that was wrapped around the collar of his white dress shirt was a deep sky blue. He was beaming from ear to ear. "The hero would like your attention!"

Alfred cleared his throat, quieting down some of the murmuring that had started. "First off, I would like to say that the punch is delicious and the turkey is impeccable. Nothing less than to be expected, right? Second, I would like to declare that the reason that I am interrupting whatever you guys are doing is because I have something I wish to say!"

"Yeah, he's probably doing what you think he's doing," Damyan said, practically voicing Arthur's thoughts out loud.

"I've been preparing this moment for a long time. Actually, I spent that long time deciding how I should do this," Alfred stopped for a moment to chuckle. "But anyways, I wanted to surprise a certain someone, and I'm sure that they are certainly surprised right about now!"

"Alfred's also the type to do the unexpected." Arthur ignored Nicolae's words. He was too caught up in the madness that was Alfred.

"At any rate, I would very much like to ask that someone for a dance! That is, if they can forgive me for not asking them before since I wanted to do so in a way that's memorable! So... what do you say?" Alfred beamed again, leaving the crowd in silence.

"You know," Lovino said after a few seconds. "Even though your partner is an idiot, they can be incredibly sweet. It's why they're so hard to hate, although them being an idiot is a downside."

"But it's worth it because of their sweet side, right?"

"Of course. We may not be on the best of terms all the time, but when he's sweet, it erases all the bad things that happened." Beat. "Nicolae, you better not tell Antonio I said any of that or else I'll fucking kill you."

Meanwhile, Alfred reached into the pockets of his trousers and pull out his phone. "Hello?" He said, the mike still in his hands, causing his words to be amplified throughout the room. "What? I'm an idiot? That's mean! I just wanted to surprise you! ...Look, I'm sorry for doing things the, quote-on-quote, 'moronic' way, but I wanted to make it unforgettable... There's no need to swear!"

Alfred shut his phone afterwards. He looked to the crowd and grinned. "He said yes."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 11_

_P.S. Their tie colors are the color that I associate with that character._

_P.P.S. The Japanese saying may have been used incorrectly, so please correct me if it's in the wrong context! But for those wondering what it means, it translates into "If it is something to be received, a wadded silk garment even in summer (is acceptable)." Wadded silk garments are used in Japan only in the cold season. Despite its use, if it is presented in the hot season, it will be accepted. Yeah, according to the Google Proverbs and Sayings book, the English parallel is the gift horse._


	20. Dancing

Alfred walked down from the stage, a huge grin on his face. _He said yes!_ He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice bumping into someone. Before he could walk away, the person he had bumped into stopped him.

"Well, well, _mon ami,_ that was rather well-handled." Alfred looked up to see Francis smiling at him. The other was wearing a black unbuttoned jacket with a peaked lapel and a pocket square on the upper left side of the jacket, also wearing black pleated trousers. His white linen dress shirt was slightly unbuttoned at the top, and came with French cuffs. An Iris blue tie hung loosely on his shirt, the color accentuating his eyes. While his attire would normally be considered as sloppy, Francis somehow made it work, managing to appear older than he was as well. "Although I doubt that your dear Englishman will let your little stunt pass tamely, especially since you hadn't mentioned prom to him at all before today."

"Hey, I did that so that I could surprise him!"

"But did you have to do it right after you guys got into better terms?" Alfred turned to see his brother standing next to Francis. He was wearing a buttoned single-breasted black jacket with a notched lapel, a pocket square on the upper right side of the jacket. His trousers were straight-cut, although they were slightly creased at the end. An unusual choice of a burnt orange tie adorned his white linen dress shirt, the color somehow accentuating Matthew's hair. "Not only was it out-of-place, it wasn't very well thought out, now was it?"

Alfred stuck a tongue out. "But it worked, right? That's all that should matter."

"Hey Jones!" Gilbert forced his way through the crowd until he reached them. While he was wearing a tuxedo like all the others, his was one of the only ones that were noticeably different. He wore an unbuttoned midnight blue tuxedo with a notched lapel, the jacket having a pinstripe design. His trousers also had a pinstripe design, the trousers midnight blue and pleated. His dress shirt was buttoned all the way, but his Prussian blue tie was hanging haphazardly on his neck. Somehow, his odd appearance looked natural on Gilbert. "You've got balls, kid! Could've been better, but hey, it did its job, right?"

"Gilbert, I don't think you're in any position to question Alfred's quality. You can barely get on the stage yourself." Gilbert glared at Francis.

"Wanna bet?"

"Francis, Gilbert!" Before Francis could reply, a tanned teen with curly brown hair and happy green eyes joined them. He was wearing an unbuttoned black jacket with a shawl collar and white cuffs. His trousers were straight cut and his shoes were impeccable. His dress shirt had a turn-down collar, a red tie tied securely around it. "You two haven't seen Lovino anywhere, have you? The minute he saw Ludwig with Feliciano, he bolted for them! But I think he got lost in the crowd and now I can't find him..."

"Lost your date Antonio?" Francis sighed with an amused smile on his face. "If you want, I could go find him for you."

"You should just let me find him," Gilbert suggested. "I have a lesser chance of stealing Feli's brother dearest away from you than that guy."

"Steal Lovi away from me? Why would anyone do that?" Although Antonio's smile had not wavered, Alfred could feel a dark aura coming off of him. "So have any of you guys seen him?"

"I saw Feliciano with Kiku earlier. If Feliciano is there, there's a good chance that Lovino is as well," Matthew offered. Antonio nodded.

"Thanks!" Francis stopped him before Antonio could walk away.

"_Attendez juste un instant_." Francis glanced at Alfred. "I believe that you heard this American's 'announcement' a while ago, yes?"

"Huh? You mean Alfred's?" Antonio scoffed. "'Course I heard it, it was playing throughout the whole room!"

"Yes, yes, but..." Alfred looked at Francis as he spoke. _What in the world is he thinking? _"Do you have any tips to help the boy? I fear that he may have accidentally provoked the irritation of his partner, and seeing as how you're our leading expert when it comes to dealing with irritated partners..."

"Irritated part...?" Antonio furrowed his eyebrows. "You mean Lovino, right?"

"Antonio, if you're about to tell us that Lovino does not get irritated easily, you'd have better luck being born Prussian," Gilbert quipped with a laugh. Antonio shrugged and turned to Alfred.

"Well, Lovino does get irritated rather easily..." He started off. "But he usually becomes much nicer after I spend some time with him."

"Aka, you do your usual Antonio thing and act like an idiot."

"Gilbert..."

"I don't need any help when it comes to dealing with Arthur," Alfred said bluntly. Antonio stopped narrowing his eyes at Gilbert to turn towards him like everyone else. "I've been doing just fine... sort of. Well, we're on better terms now, and that's what's important."

"Okay, but unless my eyes deceive me, an exasperated Englishman is making their way towards us. Let's hope that you two's better terms hold on." Alfred whipped around to follow Matthew's line of sight. Indeed, Arthur was striding towards them with an expression akin to one a person would have if the present they received on their birthday had punched them on the face.

"Alfred F. Jones..." Alfred winced at the use of his full name as Arthur made his way towards them. "What in the world were you thinking?!"

"I see the diva has arrived." Arthur gave Francis a death glare.

"Bonnefoy, I don't need your opinion."

"Opinion? I'd say it was fact." Arthur sent Antonio a death glare as well.

"Oh, this is just great. Seems like I have the whole posse gathered here. I only need Gilbert to say something and I'd have received an insult from the lot of you." He glared at Gilbert, as if daring the other to say anything about him to his face.

Gilbert grinned. "If you want me to rise to the bait, you're not in luck. Unlike these two, I'm waiting for the right time."

"You're going to have to wait a little bit longer. Honestly, what the hell are you guys doing?" Matthew scolded. "We're not going to spoil the mood for these two. They're already their own cockblocks to each other; we don't need to add to that."

Alfred blushed. "Matt, are you helping me or are you embarrassing me?"

"Both."

"_Matthieu_ is right." Francis raised his hands up. "Our quest is getting these two together, so we have to play nice for today."

"Yeah, I have to find Lovino anyways, so I don't have much time to fool around anyways." Arthur gave him a cool look.

"Funny you should say 'fool around'. I believe that I had seen him fooling around with Nicolae and Damyan a while ago." Antonio bolted off without another word with Gilbert and Francis on his heels. Matthew turned to Arthur.

"You don't actually mean that, do you?" Arthur smiled wickedly.

"Oh no, they really were fooling around. Last time I saw them, I believe that they were trying to prank Ludwig when they had seen him with Feliciano." Alfred laughed.

"You can be a real jerk sometimes, do you know that?"

"Sod off, you saw how they were treating me," Arthur snorted, and then grinned at Alfred afterwards. "Did you really think that I would back down?" Alfred chuckled.

"That's just one of the things that I love about you Art." He froze when he realized what he had just said. "Uhh..."

"For maple syrup's sake..." Matthew rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Little bro, this is where I leave you. I must say though, you two really need to just cut the crap already and confess. It really is painful seeing you guys skirt around this." Matthew strolled off before either of the two could say anything. They looked at each other in bewilderment.

"You know, sometimes I wonder when Matthew became like that..." Arthur said with a shake of his head. "He's changed since when he was young..."

"Actually, he acts the same as before, but it's times like these..." Alfred shook his head as well. He turned to Arthur. "So, you said yes."

"I did. By the way, I need to talk to you about something." Arthur folded his arms across his chest. "What the hell were you thinking when you did that stunt of yours? You could have just asked me like any other normal person instead of doing _that_."

"We're hardly normal, now are we? And I _did_ say that I wanted to make this night unforgettable." Alfred took one of his arms and jerked the other gently towards him. Arthur staggered a bit before regaining his footing a bit closer to Alfred. "And I believe that I had asked you for a dance? Why don't we get to the dancing part already then?"

"Impatient brat..." Arthur smiled as they got into position. They started to dance, the DJ coincidentally playing a slow, calming song. "But I do demand an answer. You could have _at least_ mentioned the prom to me before all this. Would have saved a lot of grief on my part."

"You really meant it when you said that you didn't trust me that much, huh?" Arthur yelped when Alfred spontaneously dipped him. He met Arthur's green eyes with his blue ones. "Arthur, you should have known that I wouldn't have just started not caring about you all of a sudden, especially after that talk of ours."

"So this whole thing was what, a secret test of trust?" Alfred grinned as he pulled the other up.

"Nah, just my stupid idea that I could have improved on."

Arthur chuckled. "At least you didn't deny being an idiot this time."

"Hey, it _worked_, didn't it? I mean, I got you to say yes!"

"Did you honestly doubt that I would say no?" Arthur stepped on his foot, probably on purpose. "I think that it's you who should trust me more, not the other way around."

"First, _ow._ Second, don't twist this around so that it's in your favor. In fact..." Alfred dipped Arthur again. "...I think you owe me another one for having so little trust in me."

"In your dreams Jones, I think me saying yes is enough to warrant that." Alfred pulled him up again.

"Nope, I demand another favor!" He was grinning from ear to ear as he suddenly spun Arthur. "Now that I think about it, we haven't gone on a date."

"Yes we have."

"A _proper_ one." Alfred suddenly pushed Arthur into a wall, having danced close enough to one. He let go of Arthur to trap the other into the wall. "Please Arthur? We haven't gone on a date yet, so... Well, haven't gone on one that... you know, one that doesn't lead to... well..."

Arthur sighed and reached out to touch the side of Alfred's face. "Alfred, you know I can't win when you make that face of yours."

"So we can go on a date?"

"Maybe over the summer when school's over. That way, we'd have more time." Arthur paused before he blushed. "This is just a maybe, okay?" Alfred beamed as he moved out of the wall. He knew Arthur enough to know what he meant.

"I'm holding you against that." Alfred stuck out his hand. "But right now, let's just continue dancing, all right?"

Arthur took it, a smile on his lips. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

Alfred returned his smile. "You're not still mad at me, are you?"

"Of course not." Arthur hesitated as they started to dance again. "Although, there is something I would like to say."

Alfred tilted his head. "What is it?"

Arthur blushed faintly as he met Alfred's eyes. "I've been thinking lately, and I realized that I lo-"

Heavy metal started to play. Both teens jumped as they turned towards the stage to find Gilbert standing right next to the DJ stand. They watched as the DJ shooed him away, changing the music back to what had been playing before. Meanwhile, Gilbert ran off to where Francis and Antonio stood near the stage and engaged in a heated conversation with them.

"That was... So like them." Alfred shook his head as he turned to face Arthur again. "So what were you saying?"

"I..." Arthur looked at Alfred, shock from the sudden heavy metal fading away from his eyes. He was silent for a few seconds before he shook his head. "It's nothing. Come on, we have a dance to finish."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 10_


	21. Cooking or Baking

"Uwaaaaah!" Alfred stretched out his arms. Today, he was wearing a maroon red vest over a long-sleeved shirt and fallow brown pants. It was fancier clothes than what he normally wore, but that was intended. "It feels great now that summer's begun! And the day feels super nice too! Perfect for a date, right?"

"Idiot, don't think that just because you said that, it means that I'll actually go on one with you." Arthur punched his arm affectionately. He was wearing a navy blue vest over a white long-sleeved shirt as well as black trousers. At Alfred's insistence, he was wearing the bomber jacket Alfred had given him. "And I can't believe that you actually remembered it." Alfred laughed.

"I told you that I would hold it against you, didn't I? I like to think that I keep to my word." Alfred leaned back on the seat. The two were sitting on a wooden bench outside Alfred's house. Green trees were scattered around them, bushes filled with all kinds of flowers at their feet. The sun shone brightly despite it still being morning, the sunlight adding to the feeling of summer relaxedness the two already felt. "Really though, I can never get tired of this place."

"I'm with you there," Arthur replied with a nod of his head. "It's one of the many reasons why I don't regret moving here from England with my father."

"Am I also one of those many reasons?" Alfred asked innocently.

"I believe that I was complimenting your family's beautiful house, not you."

"That's a compliment to me on its own, right?" Arthur just chuckled and said nothing in reply.

Alfred's country house was a large and beautiful place. It was located in a small and green city, and although it was small, it was in touch with civilization. His house had a gate that lead up to the two-story house. The house was painted mostly camel brown with its edges painted white. The roof was slated and painted a chocolate brown, one larger roof for the whole house and a smaller roof dividing the second floor from the first. Multiple rectangular single-hung windows were distributed around the houses sides. The house had two porches; the bench they were sitting on was to the side of the staircase that went up to the white back porch of the house.

It was a large house, one that Alfred's family had inherited from his mother's side. Naturally, it was rather hard to keep the house, but seeing as it currently housed three families, they managed to keep the house ever since it had been given to his mother when Alfred was young. However, living with two other families that meant that privacy was hard to get by.

"_Mon dieu, _how long do you two plan to just sit there?" Both of the teens looked up to see Francis leaning over the railing. He was wearing a loose white long-sleeved shirt with a black rose design on its right side. A brown belt hung loosely over his designer jeans, black boots with a small heel finishing the look. "Things need to be a bit _steamy_ for good entertainment, no?"

"Francis, what the hell are you doing here?" The other raised an eyebrow at Alfred's words.

"There's no need to sound so annoyed, Alfred," he said with some fake hurt in his voice. Arthur scoffed.

"Your very presence is a reason to be annoyed. He has every right to be irritated."

Francis wagged a finger and made a 'tsk-tsk' sound. "Temper, temper. You'll have crease lines if you keep on glaring at me with those furrowed caterpillars on your face."

"My eyebrows are completely normal!"

"Why don't you ask Alfred that?"

"You are _not _bringing me into this," Alfred said as he raised his hands up. "I'm too young to participate in a war."

Francis chuckled. "You make a good point. At any rate, I am merely here to ask what you two would like for breakfast."

"Mom's making breakfast?" Alfred immediately perked up. "Why didn't you say so? I'm starving!"

Arthur frowned. "How come Mrs. Jones didn't tell us that she was making breakfast? I could've helped her." Francis stared at him and then burst into derisive laughter.

"Who knew that Arthur had humor in him? You simply crack me up."

"I mean it!" Arthur's face was red. "I could've helped her!"

"Arthur, I'd rather die than let you ruin Mrs. Jones's impeccable kitchen."

"Would you like to create your will now then?"

"Come on..." Alfred cleared his throat in a futile attempt to lighten the tension. "Arthur's a... he's a massive help in the kitchen!" As much as he loved Arthur to pieces, Alfred had to force the words out of his throat. Francis just looked at him with ludicrously.

"I believe that this is what people meant when they say 'love knows no bounds'." He shook his head with utter disbelief in his voice. "Your love for Arthur must reach the bottom of the deepest sea if you would go to such lengths for him."

"Stop overreacting!" Arthur's face reddened even more in rage and frustration. "My cooking's just fine! I can prove it to you!"

"I'd rather not risk that chance."

"You're just too scared to admit that I'm right!" Francis's eyebrow twitched.

"Fine, make something then. Just try not to burn the place down." Even though it was obvious that Francis was hurting on the inside to allow Arthur to cook, his pride and especially his innate rivalry with Arthur couldn't let him back down. Arthur smirked before turning to Alfred.

"You'll taste test for me, right?" Alfred froze. _To be killed or not to be killed, that is the question here isn't it?_ He looked at Arthur's face. The other's green eyes were shining with both competition and expectation. ..._Damn it, he just has to be adorable, doesn't he? Of all the people to love..._ Alfred took a deep breath.

"S-sure, Art. I don't mind." Arthur whipped around to face Francis.

"You're on!" Instead of answering, Francis turned to Alfred with a pitiful gaze.

"I'll be sure to tell your family of your honorable sacrifice."

''''''

_He can't mess this up..._ Alfred thought as he watched Arthur scurry about. _It's just making pancakes... They're pretty easy to make, right...?_

The kitchen was just as lovely as the rest of the house. The hardwood floor was polished to the point where it reflected the people walking on it. To the left side of the room were a row of white cabinets with a brown marble surface which at some point dipped to make the sink. A hung up window stood behind the sink, with two cabinets on either side of it. The refrigerator was situated to the left of the sink and at the corner of the room. At the front of the room were more cabinets as well as an oven stone was. At the middle of the kitchen was an island, where there were several ingredients needed to make pancakes. At the moment, Arthur was manually beating the eggs in a bowl, a pink apron tied around his waist and his sleeves rolled up.

"Arthur, are you sure you don't want me to help you...?" Alfred asked from where he was a good distance away. He was wearing his bomber jacket, Arthur having taken it off so that it wouldn't get in the way. "Or my mom...? I mean, she's just in the next room, I could just call her and have her help you..."

"It's just pancakes Alfred, how hard can it be?" Alfred winced at his words.

"It's just that... Your cooking, they don't really..." He watched Arthur add in bread and egg whites into the bowl. "Uhh..."

"I assure you, it'll be fine!" Arthur added in pre-melted butter into the bowl. He started to reach for a carton of milk. "I have complete faith in my cooking abilities!"

"Haha, yeah..." Alfred scratched the back of his head. _He looks really cute making food... Like a housewife... Err, househusband..._ Alfred blushed as a mental image came up on his head.

"Hey Art..." Arthur looked up at Alfred when he spoke. Currently, the other was stirring the batter. "That day in prom... What were you about to tell me?" Alfred remembered the sentence Arthur had started to say before Gilbert had played the heavy metal music. He had spoken to Matthew about the soonest as he could, and like his brother, he suspected that what Arthur had tried to say was... "Was that... Was that a...?"

"A what?" Arthur had looked away, his hand still absentmindedly stirring the batter. "And didn't I tell you to just forget about it?"

"It sounded like it was important. I can't forget about it if it's important, now can I?"

"It wasn't _that _important..."

"Hey, the tips of your ears are red." Arthur began to stir the batter furiously.

"You didn't have to say it out loud!" _Just why is he so cute?_ Alfred had to resist the urge to just run up and grab Arthur. Especially since the other had just put the bowl down on the island and had started spraying non-stick spray on the frying pan on top of the stove. _Just too cute..._

"Hey, where'd you like to go for that date you owe me?" Arthur jumped. He yelped when he hit his hand on the oven handle. "Hey, are you okay?!"

"Just fine." Arthur was shaking his hand, a disapproving look on his face. "And what date?"

"The one you agreed to have with me."

"I believe that that was just a 'maybe'."

"Come on, we all know that you meant yes." Arthur turned towards the stove, his back facing Alfred. "So where would you like to go?"

"As I told you, it was just a mayb-" He yelped again when Alfred wrapped his arms around his waist. "What are you doing?!"

"You said you would, remember?" Arthur grew red as Alfred spoke into his left ear. "A gentleman shouldn't go back on their promises."

"Technically, I never promised anything." Alfred didn't have a chance to interrupt. "Although I did mean yes..." He added quietly, turning even redder. He made a little noise as Alfred nipped his ear.

"Honestly, Arthur what should I do with you...?" Alfred hugged the other tighter. "Now I _have _to go on a date with you. You're just too adorable right now for me not to."

"I-I have to make pancakes you know!" Arthur tried to fight out of his grip, only for Alfred to squeeze him even tighter. "I-I'd rather you not distract me r-right now!"

"So I'm a distraction to you?" It surprised Alfred how red Arthur became when Alfred had said that.

"D-don't speak like that..."

"Speak like what?"

"A-a..." Arthur's voice quavered. Suddenly, he shook his head. "Alfred, I could really use without a distraction right now!"

"Only if you promise to go on a date with me even though you already said yes before."

"I will, I will! J-just not anytime soon, okay?"

Alfred frowned. "Why not?"

"I'll only agree on those terms! You either take it or you leave it." Alfred pondered on it for a bit.

"Fine, but you have to uphold your promise of sleeping in my room."

"I believe that that was a 'perhaps'."

"I don't care. I want you in my bed and that's that."

Arthur reddened some more. "Couldn't you have phrased that in a better way?"

"Nope." Alfred quickly nipped his ear again. Really, he was just too cute for his own good. "So do you agree?"

"Fine, but let go of me first." Alfred let go of him. "Now go away. I can't concentrate properly when you're here."

"..."

"Alfred?"

"You're too adorable Art, do you know that?"

_Later..._

"Uu..." Alfred was doubled over and clutching his stomach. "Uuuu..."

"I didn't know that that would happen!" Arthur's voice wafted from a distance.

"This is why you shouldn't feed the boy any of your food... You're just lucky that Mrs. Jones is used to this happening already," Francis scolded. "It's a good thing that he only took a small bite. Should he have eaten more, I believe that we would've seen the last of him."

"That is not true!"

"At any rate, you're going to have to spend the day making sure that the boy is alright. While what his mother had given him should do the trick, that's your punishment."

"Why are you issuing punishments?!"

"Guys... It's fine..." Alfred tried to fight his queasiness. "Just... Arthur?"

"Yes Alfred?"

"When we're married, we're just going to eat fast food for the rest of our lives."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 9_


	22. In Battle, Side-By-Side

"Gogogogogogogogogogo-!"

"Alfred, what the hell are you doing?"

Alfred paused the game to look at where Arthur was standing. The Jones's living room was as nice a place as the rest of the house. Alfred was sitting on the couch in the middle of the room, a Wiimote strapped to his hand. In front of him was a glass coffee table, and on top of the coffee table was a vase which had a red and yellow rose on it. Past the coffee table was an oak TV stand, a small, flat screen TV on top of it with a Wii beside it. A square red rug with white fringe lay flat on the floor underneath the couch, the coffee table, and the rest. Strong sunlight filtered through the windows, the white curtains pulled aside to show a view of the greenery outdoors. The living room was connected to the dining room and two hallways; Arthur had come from the hallway on the right.

"Arthur, can't you see that I'm in the middle of Brawl? I've been waiting forever for Kiku to lend me his old copy! Don't interrupt me when I just started playing! Especially since I had to wait a little while longer because of a certain person's pancakes!" Arthur rolled his eyes as he walked to the couch.

"Says the one who wasn't complaining when I nursed you the whole day afterwards." Alfred chuckled as Arthur continued on. "You should be lucky that Kiku's nice enough to give you all these ridiculous video games in the first place. I mean, of all the games in the world, why would he give you a copy of _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_? Isn't that game expensive?" Alfred turned back to the screen once Arthur reached the couch.

"Yeah, but his cousin gave him _their _copy of _Super Smash Bros. Brawl, _so he gave me his old one."

"Who'd he get it from?"

"Yong Soo. You know. That Korean." Alfred unpaused the game.

"Figures," Arthur said as he took a seat right beside Alfred. "He's probably the only other person as addicted to video games as you are."

"Actually, he's more of a computer gamer than he is a console gamer. I mean, they're okay, but I'll take my trusty old consoles any day of the week." Alfred selected 'The Lake' area. A cutscene launched onto the screen. "But that guy's a killer when it comes to computer games. Did you know that he actually managed to defeat The Black and White Knight of Darkness?"

"No way, even we never made it that far." Arthur pointed to the screen. "Did that Rayquaza just pop out of the lake like some common water monster?"

"I know right? I flipped out when I watched Kiku play through this." Alfred selected Diddy Kong as he said this. "I mean, seriously? Rayquaza lives in the ozone layer, not a lake...The game's still awesome though, despite its errors."

"You're a monkey with a peanut gun kicking the ass of what is essentially a deity that, mind you, came out of a _lake,_" Arthur said bluntly. "Just what is so fun about a game with barely any plot and is all fighting?"

"It's actually great fun, especially when you play with friends." Alfred made a brief victory sign as the next cutscene played. "You see, there's a mode where you can play with three other people and see who the best is! You can make teams and adjust settings and stuff... It's a brilliant way to make friends with people."

Alfred didn't need to look at him to see that Arthur's brows were furrowed. "How does fighting each other equate to friendship?"

"Defeat means friendship Art, that's all there is to it."

"Wouldn't it be better to play a game that actively tries to bring people together to build friendships instead of a game where everyone is pitted against each other?"

"Not necessarily." Alfred was passing through the level with ease, having borrowed the game from Kiku multiple times before. It was hardly a challenge to talk to Arthur while concentrating on the game. The only thing that could possibly mess up his concentration was how close Arthur was sitting to him. The other was practically pressed against his side. "Take any Mario Party game for once. Don't take the 'Party' in its name seriously; if Smash Bros. is how you build friendships, Mario Party is how you utterly _obliterate_ them."

"In what way?"

"I'm not really sure. There's just something about four people competing to obtain the most Stars that breaks friendships. After all, there's always that one player, am I right?"

"'That one player'?"

"That one player who's so skilled that the other players don't stand a chance against him," Alfred replied casually as he faced the Fake Bowser. "The one who's played the game so much that they might as well be a super human when they play it. They know all the tricks of the trade, all the hidden nooks and crannies, so much so that the other players simply don't stand a chance, and really, nobody likes a hopeless situation. Unless you have some kind of despair fetish, but come on, how many people are like that?" Alfred scoffed at his own private joke. "But anyways, to put it in perspective, if I was to play Brawl with you, I'd become that one player."

"Oh?" Alfred put down the controller once he beat the level. He met Arthur's eyes, which were alight with the familiar twinkle of competition. "Is that a challenge?"

"Nope. Why should I challenge someone when I know that I'll be the obvious victor?" Arthur smiled, his smile turning out like that of a shark's.

"Tell me how to play."

'''''

"Arthur..." Alfred tried not to smirk. "You won that time..."

"Shut it." Arthur was slumped on the couch, his arms crossed around his chest. "You let me win that time."

"But you did actually win!"

"It was by such a razor thin margin that I _know _that you let me win on purpose."

"Arthur..." Alfred tried not to frown. It wasn't like he could disagree with him. He just felt sort of bad after an 18-0 streak. "Tell you what, we'll go call Matthew and Francis have a 2v2 with them. Matthew's played the game before, so he can explain the rules to Francis. That way, both teams would have one experienced player and one inexperienced player. What do you say to that?"

"_I _say that it's madness." Both teens looked up behind them to see Matthew walking towards them from where he was at the left hallway. "Al, I don't play video games as much as you. You'll wipe the floor with me."

"Not true, you're just as good a gamer as me. And where did you come from?"

"It's our house, I can go anywhere I want, although I doubt I can watch TV now with you two hogging it."

"Sorry 'bout that," Alfred said apologetically. "So will you play?"

"Al, I'm not that good," he said as he draped his arms around the back of the couch. "I don't stand a chance."

"You'll have Francis with you!"

"What makes you think I'll agree?" Francis appeared from the dining room. "At least Arthur has had some experience playing this- I'm completely new at this!"

"I see no problem with this." Arthur seemed to have brightened up after hearing that Francis was new at playing the game. "It's all even, is it not?"

"Yes, but-"

"I have an idea!" Alfred interjected. "I'll make a bet with Arthur! I won't tell you guys what that bet is, but I'm sure that it will affect Arthur's gameplay!"

"Hey, I never agreed to tha-!" Before Arthur could finish his protests, Alfred had leaned into him and started talking into his ears. After a few seconds, Arthur glared at Alfred.

"You just like doing this to me, don't you?" Alfred smirked as he shrugged.

"It's a win-win, don't you think?"

"No."

"Well too bad, you're going along with them." Alfred stood up to get the two other Wiimotes. "Now let's start the game."

'''''

"Will you stop tea-bagging me?!"

"Ha, lag canceled that!"

"_Merde, _that was my last life!"

"That's for that last life!"

"Agh!" Matthew threw his Wiimote up (tried to at least- the strap was still attached to his wrist). Arthur and Alfred high-fived each other. "I told you that I didn't stand a chance!"

"Are you kidding me? You actually knocked me down to my last life!" Alfred beamed as he thumped his brother on his back. "Gg, gg!"

"The hell does that mean?" Even though Arthur attempted to sound cross, it was obvious that he was happy. Francis leaned forward and looked at him.

"Does it matter? I think the more pressing matter is whether or not you will reveal the contents of your bet?" Arthur immediately blushed.

"That's... That's-!"

"If you and Matthew had won, Arthur would have to tell me what he was going to say at prom but he would have to sleep in my bed for the rest of the summer. If we won- which we did- he wouldn't have to tell me what he was going to say at prom, but he would have to sleep in my bed." Francis clapped slowly.

"I admire your deal-making skills, although why couldn't you just have both?" Alfred wagged his finger.

"With Arthur, it's best to put him in a situation where he can't think up of a third option."

"You know, I never agreed to that deal," Arthur said as he leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest. Matthew sighed.

"Well, at least that explains why Arthur actually hesitated to kill Francis. But yeah, I'm with Francis here, why can't you have both?" He leaned back on the couch as well. "You know, you and Arthur make a good team. While you two have your little spats, you can team up with each other surprisingly well."

"It's true, you know." Arthur scowled at him.

"I see that you two are still trying to get us together."

"Come on Arthur, you have to admit that you two get along well with each other. And don't you have something important to say to Alfred?" Arthur shifted his eyes.

"You heard Alfred; I don't need to say it."

"I do want to hear it sometime though, if it is what I think it is," Alfred said somewhat quietly before shrugging. "Oh well, you can tell me when we go on that date of ours, I suppose."

"Date?" Francis's eyes gleamed. "You two will be going on a date?"

"About time," Matthew said with a smile. "That one time doesn't count, and well, we really do mean it when we say that you get along well with my brother. When is it?"

"Not anytime soon," Arthur said crossly. They just started at him.

"Not on our watches," Matthew scoffed. "Arthur, you two have been putting this off for _way _too long. If you're not going to tell him, you might as well go on a date with him already."

"See!" Arthur looked at Alfred and sighed.

"Fine, maybe tomorrow or the day after." Alfred fist-pumped the air.

"This is officially one of the better days of my life. It just can't get any better than this."

"In books, it never is a good idea to say something so happy like that," Arthur commented airily. "It jinxes people."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 8_


	23. Arguing

_A/N: I just want to thank you guys for all the views and stuff. This is the first time I've ever seen so many views accumulated on my monthly story stats. Granted I've been uploading for 23 days straight, but it's nonetheless appreciated. Anyways, thanks!_

* * *

"Of all the places to go to for a date, why a backyard?"

"You have to admit, our backyard is pretty awesome. I'm pretty sure you spent most of your childhood sitting under some tree here and just reading."

"Not true. I remember that I mostly fought with Francis and some other neighborhood kids."

"And me. You can't forget about that."

Even though Arthur chuckled, Alfred regretted bringing up a bad memory. It was risky, and he could tell that Arthur was still feeling hurt over that incident, even after their talk. Still, Alfred took in his chuckle with stride but changed the topic nonetheless. He found that whenever their past was brought up, it usually led to a fight. _This will _not _turn into that last date we had. _Alfred had decided when he had woken up. While there were other times that could count as a date, only the time that Matthew had told them to go on a date had truly struck Alfred as one. Even if it did end in disaster. _That's not going to happen this time though._

The two were walking through the Jones's rather spacious backyard. Beautiful greenery surrounded them, all kinds of flowers growing in the bushes. Squirrels and birds were going in and out of the area, the combined fauna and flora making a picturesque image. The sun's light gave an added effect to the romantic atmosphere, the light filtering from the tree leaves dancing on the ground. A short metal fence surrounded the backyard, although it was hard to see because of the trees covering it.

"I don't see Lucky anywhere around here..." Arthur observed, his head swiveling to find the Jones's dog. He was wearing a fern green vest over a white, long-sleeved cotton shirt and light brown pants. His hands were folded across his chest, his hands gripping his elbows.

Alfred shrugged nonchalantly. He was wearing a navy blue hoodie with some jeans, having decided that since they were having their date in the backyard, he didn't need to dress fancy. He somewhat regretted that decision. "Matthew took him out on a walk with Francis. I would've said no if it didn't make for an amusing image..." Alfred recalled with fond remembrance when Francis had decided to try to take Lucky out of the backyard to leave Arthur and Alfred some time alone. It was lucky that Matthew had come to his rescue when he did. Lucky always was an affectionate dog after all. "Although I doubt that they're just content with just that. I'm half-expecting them to be taking a walk around our house and glimpsing in the backyard every now and then to monitor our 'progress'?"

"Please, with your monster of a dog? I'm surprised that they can even manage to walk the thing." Despite the harshness of his tone, there was a sort of fondness for Lucky in Arthur's tone. He never could truly hate anything that was cute.

"Where do you think all these muscles come from?" Arthur rolled his eyes at Alfred's joke.

"You barely have any muscles. If anything, it's all flab."

"'Flab'? I believe that this is coming from the person who told me that I had a six-pack, and if I'm right, which I am, six-packs don't come with flabs."

Arthur averted his eyes. "That sentence needs work."

"Don't change the subject, Art, we all know that you're secretly jealous of my six-pack."

"Didn't I tell you before that I wouldn't know if you had a six-pack?" Arthur insisted as he faced Alfred again. "How can I be jealous of something that doesn't exist?"

"Would you like to test that theory then?" Alfred grabbed hold of the ends of his hoodie and the shirt underneath it. Arthur turned red.

"We're in public!"

"I don't mind. I mean, I'm pretty hot, right? Plus, my backyard hardly counts as a public area."

Arthur just shook his head in a mixture of awe and exasperation. "You're ridiculous."

Alfred grinned. "I'm still not hearing a 'no'." He lifted his clothes up by a bit, only for a chocolate bar to fall on the ground. Arthur stared at it and sighed.

"Do you _still _hide food on your person?"

"No!" Alfred bent down to pick up the fallen chocolate bar. "Seriously, I've broken out of it! I'm not a human candy fountain anymore!"

"That chocolate bar says otherwise."

"So I snuck in a chocolate bar, it's not like there's anything else!" As Alfred straightened up, a fiber bar that he had been concealing in his sleeve fell out. Arthur took one look at it and rolled his eyes.

"You really _are_ ridiculous."

"In my defense, I was going to give the chocolate bar to you," Alfred said as he picked up the fiber bar. "I just didn't want us to go back to the house for snacks."

"It's only a short distance's walk away, what's the harm?"

"I don't know, it just feels like this date will end when at least one of us goes inside the house." Alfred shrugged as he put both his chocolate bar and the fiber bar into his hoodie pocket. "That's when dates usually end though, right? When they go home."

"Seeing as the date is actually _in _your home, I think that this circumstance is exempt from that." Arthur stopped once they were under a tree. "So what do you plan to do? I knew from the start that you didn't think this through when you came out wearing a hoodie and jeans, but surely you must have some idea of what we're going to do."

"None at all!" Alfred plopped down on the ground under the tree. He patted the spot right next to him. "But that's the best part of it all, right?"

Arthur sighed, but even Alfred could see the beginnings of a smile on his face as he sat down right next to him. "You know, most men would plan their first date for who-knows-how-long, only for all their plans to go to the trash once something unexpected happens. Somehow, I'm not as surprised as I should be on finding out that you are not one of those men."

"Geez Arthur, it sounds like you're embracing your role as the woman of the relationship."

The other glared at him. "Call me that again and you'll see just how much of a woman I am."

"I'm terrified." Arthur's glare intensified as Alfred just laughed. "No really, I am. You're no pushover in a fight, that's true enough, but I believe that I'm the one with the six-pack here?"

"Will you quit it with the six-packs already? We haven't confirmed that yet." Even though he looked and sounded as if he was mad, the beginnings of a smile returned to Arthur's face once more. "So you really have nothing planned, huh? We might as well go play chess or some other such activity most people would find boring."

"I don't mind chess. People tell me that I don't look the type to play chess, but it's actually pretty fun... 'Course, I'm terrible at the game though." Alfred laughed as he leaned back. "What's your favorite piece by the way? Mine would be the king. Even though he can't move that far, he's the center of the whole game."

"I'm not surprised of your choice." Arthur tapped his knee as he thought. "I suppose that I would say that I would favor the knight. Personally, I find it interesting that he's the only piece with the ability to jump over others."

"That is pretty cool, right?" The conversation stalled after that. Alfred hummed a tune, unused to the quiet.

"You know..." Alfred started absentmindedly once he finished the song he had been humming. "We played here a lot when we were young, right?" He knew that he was venturing to an area filled with live tripwires just by mentioning their past. While it was easy to talk about the past to people with whom you have history, it leaves a chance for bad blood to come up.

To Alfred's relief, Arthur hadn't thought of a certain incident at the mention of their past. "You always were an active child... I'm still rather surprised that you managed to outgrow me... You were such a short thing back then, huh?"

"I wasn't that short!" Alfred protested. "And you're older than me! Naturally I'd be shorter!"

"That's not always true," Arthur pointed out.

"At least I'm taller than you now," Alfred countered. "What does it feel like being the midget this time around?"

"Don't act so high and mighty, you prat!" Arthur punched his arm. "We're only a few centimeters off!"

"A few centimeters still counts as taller you know." Arthur scowled at him.

"Honestly, you've changed a lot since you were a child... I mean, what happened to the kid that could barely reach my knees?" Alfred stiffened. Were they actually going to tread on that territory after resolving it? _Will this turn out like our last date after all?!_ He thought frantically. "That growth spurt of yours really did wonders on you, didn't it?"

Alfred breathed an intense sigh of relief at Arthur's words. "Good, it seems like this won't be a repeat of the last 'date' we had! While you are asking the 'what-happened-to-the-sweet-kid-I-had-known' question, it was in a joking manner! For a second there, I thought you were going to go in an emotional spiel of how we've changed from the past and probably end up talking about that incident! We'd probably get into another fight if that happened! I can't tell you how glad I am that I avoided that landmine!" Beat. "Shit, did I say that out loud?!"

"Yes, yes you did." Arthur's green eyes- such wonderful, beautiful, expressive eyes- hardened. "Just what do you think I am? While I am understandably still a bit sore about that incident, I felt as if I could finally move on from it after that talk we had a while back. Obviously, you still expect me to dwell on it."

"No, no, it's not that!" Alfred felt his heart plummeting down. "I didn't mean it that wa-!"

"I don't think it could be meant any other way," Arthur interrupted coolly, his eyes betraying his inner rage. "And I actually _was_ going to go on an emotional speech of how much you've changed and yes I was going to mention that incident, but I was going to end it on a happy note that we're on better terms now!" He snorted derisively. "There goes that I suppose."

"Arthur, I didn't mean anything when I was thinking aloud!" _I just had to open my big mouth, didn't I?!_ "I was just relieved because our past is sort of like a sore point to you, and it seems like you finally moved on!"

"I have, but it seems to me that you don't think so. What had you said before, 'what's past is past'?" He tilted his head mockingly in thought before fixing Alfred with a cold gaze. "Apparently, it isn't."

"It is!" Alfred knew from when Arthur's eyes had hardened that this wasn't going to end well. After all, Arthur was a stubborn person. "I was just thinking out loud, that's all!"

"You know, I was right when I had told you that it was the other way around." Arthur's expression was murderous as he stood up. "It was you who needed to trust me more, not the other way around."

"Arthur, just listen to me!" Alfred scrambled up as Arthur started to stomp away. "Please, I didn't mean it that way!" The other didn't turn around, but instead increased his pace. Alfred was forced into a jog to catch up with him. "Arthur!" He called out once Arthur reached the top of the staircase. "Listen to me! I never meant to hurt you!"

Arthur spun around to face him. "You know, I really thought that our fights would stop now that we got our issues resolved." His voice was flat, but that in itself showed how enraged and hurt he was. "I really thought that our relationship had changed. Hell, I was planning to change it even further, but..." He shook his head. "Am I being unreasonable right now? Possibly so, but you remember our last 'date', do you not?"

"I had accused you of toying with my emotions. You've proven to me that you don't do it with malicious intent, and I still don't think that you do. However, you have proved to me that you're nothing but an insensitive idiot. Well," he smiled, although it held no emotion to them. "Just how insensitive can you be, I wonder?"

Arthur turned his back on him and opened the door. He walked inside, slamming the door shut.

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 7_


	24. Making Up Afterwards

"Al, what are you doing?"

"Wallowing in my stupidity, why?"

"Well," Matthew said as he sat down beside Alfred. "There's a first for everything."

Alfred didn't respond. He just took another bite of his fiber bar. He was sitting slumped over the oak table in the dining room. He had closed the curtains over the windows, so he was almost bathed in darkness save for the light emitting from the small chandelier over the table and the light coming from the other rooms.

Matthew sighed right next to him. "Okay, what happened? It's not every day that I see my little brother depressed."

Alfred sighed. "Where's Francis? And Lucky? How come they aren't here?"

Matthew chuckled. "When I saw the minimal amount of light in the dining room, I knew something was up, so I asked Francis to go bring Lucky to the backyard and entertain her while I have a bro-to-bro talk with you." His voice became stern. "And don't change the subject on me, young man."

"What are you, my mother?"

"I'm your brother you idiot, I'm allowed to call you 'young man'." Matthew's voice softened when he saw Alfred flinch. "Oh. So it _is _something between you and Arthur, isn't it?"

"What do you think?" Alfred replied sadly. "Matthew, why am I an idiot?"

"I'll take that as a rhetorical question. Really..." Matthew took the fiber bar from Alfred's hands. "What happened while Francis and I were out?"

"I just had to open my big mouth, didn't I...?" Alfred murmured. "And it was going pretty well too..."

"What happened if it was going so well then?"

"I thought out loud..." Matthew chuckled softly.

"Well, I can see why that would upset Arthur. Your thoughts are a weird thing after all. Makes me wonder what in the world goes on in that head of yours..." When Alfred didn't laugh at his joke, Matthew just sighed. "Just what did you say?"

"Let's just say that I'm an idiot. Now can you give me back my fiber bar, Matt? I want to eat..." Matthew moved the fiber bar farther away as Alfred tried to reach out for it.

"Oh no, not until you tell me what happened. And isn't ice cream the sad food, not fiber bars?"

"Don't want to get up to get ice cream..." Alfred let his hand fall to his side. "Too much work..."

"You're not up for ice cream? Okay, now you've _definitely_ got to tell me what's wrong." Matthew, after some initial difficulty, pulled Alfred up so that the other was sitting up (if being slumped on one's seat counted as sitting up). "Al, I'm your brother. Let's make do with the brothering already and talk about our feelings like men."

"Matt, your humor won't work on me this time..." Despite his words, Alfred couldn't help but smile. "But yeah, I guess I'll go tell you..."

He took a deep breath. "I really meant it when I said that it was my fault things turned out this way. I mean, I know you guys call me an idiot all the time, but this time I had reached new levels of idiocy. Like I said, it was going pretty well before... We were just walking around and talking, but then we got into our pasts, and then I just... I screwed it all up."

"Alfred... I'm sure that it was only a little spat..." Alfred snorted.

"Even you don't believe that, Matthew." He sighed. "What should I do Matt? What if we never recover from this?"

"Don't think like that Al!" Matthew objected immediately. "You two are closer than this!"

"Yeah, but I noticed that whenever we have a big fight, we don't make up until months or even years after." Alfred hung his head dejectedly. "What if we don't make up after this one?"

Matthew bit his lip and then sighed. "Alfred, what you have to know is that those who are close fight, some more than others..." He put a hand on Alfred's shoulders. "But they eventually make things right again. Look, I'm sure that if you just talked to him, he'll forgive you. Sure it won't be easy getting him to talk to you in the first place, but I truly believe that he'll let you speak to him some time or another."

"Still, what if-?"

"Al, I just went on an emotional speech, don't let it go to waste," Matthew said sternly. "Look, just make things better already... okay? I can't stand seeing you and Arthur this way when I know how you two feel about the other." He smiled. "So if you want to get back onto good terms with him, just go talk to him. He'll understand. I'm sure of it."

'''''''

"I never did understand why the Jones loves that dog so much..." Francis muttered as he walked along the hallways of the house. "While I believe in love, there comes a point when just mere affection can be suffocating..."

He kept on muttering to himself as he walked through the hall. When he passed by Arthur's room, he paused. _Now why in the world, _Francis thought, _is his door open?_ Arthur was the type who had his door closed all the time, something Francis often made fun of. For the teen to leave his door open, even by only a mere slip... why, it was basically unthinkable!

"Arthur..." Francis opened the door. "Are you here?"

Arthur's room was a nice, calm room... one that didn't suit the owner as much, in Francis's opinion. The floor was made of the same dark wood as the rest of the house, and the rug that could be found in the living room was also found in the center of Arthur's bedroom. There was a sliding door to the left of the room which was the closet. Next to it was a desk for Arthur to study in. At the front of the room was a large alcove framed in white, the couch part of it a fern green while the pillows around it were a light brown. At its sides were small shelves lined with books, and in the middle of the alcove was a large window. Arthur's bed was found on the right side of the room. It was a large double bed with emerald green duvets. Currently, Arthur was lying on that bed, his eyes faced towards the ceiling.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, not turning his eyes towards the other. Francis sighed as he closed the door.

"Checking up on a dear childhood friend. I am allowed to do that, no?"

"No, you are not." Francis chuckled.

"_Mon ami_, are you still going to antagonize me when you're like this? It is unwise to reject a friend who only wishes to help you." Arthur snorted but said nothing. _My, my... He must be more upset than I had thought if he won't even take such an open opportunity to insult me._ "Now then, what are you holed up in your room for?"

"Why would it matter to you? Just leave me alone." Francis sat down at the foot of his bed.

"Well, it certainly is a surprise to see Arthur acting like a normal teenager for once instead of the responsible, nagging older brother type." Francis raised his eyebrows when Arthur flinched. "Ah, so my suspicions were correct. What did that _imbécile_ do this time?"

"What _didn't _he do?" Arthur sighed. "I feel like I'm overreacting over it all, but..."

"But what?"

"But..." The other paused. "Just why exactly _are_ you here again?"

"Because I want to help you in your quest of love." Francis grinned as Arthur rolled his eyes. "All right, I do want to help you as a person, but I am not about to let this love of yours fade after you've just recently discovered it."

"I don't need your help."

"It seems like you do." Francis smiled exasperatedly. "Arthur, now is not the time to be stubborn. Now is the time for you to realize that whatever that boy does, whatever feats of stupidity he performs, it is all because he just wants your attention. You have to admit, the boy does enjoy getting noticed." Arthur made a noise in agreement. "That's why he doesn't like it when something he does goes unnoticed. Honestly, I don't know how many signals the boy has to send you before you get the message."

"What message?"

"My point exactly." Francis sighed yet again. "You two need to work on your communication and resolve this issue once and for all. I suggest that you do so now. Matthew should be giving Alfred an emotional talk as well, so I'm sure that he'll listen to you."

"Why does he get Matthew? Why did I get stuck with you?" Arthur sighed in resignation. "But I suppose, th... thanks." Francis chuckled.

"I wish I could have recorded that. Now go and make things better; I don't know how much more of this tension I can take. But anyways, just know that you are everything to that boy. No matter how many times he hurts you, he will _always_ make sure that he'll set things afterwards. So go talk to the boy and set things right, hm?"

''''''

"What was Francis doing in your room?"

Arthur sighed as he sat up from his bed. Alfred was standing in front of the door, his eyes still trailing after the Frenchman who had just left. "I didn't want him here either, but he insisted on staying."

"What was he doing?"

"The same thing you were doing with Matthew: talking." Alfred, who was in the middle of closing the door, stopped and gaped at Arthur, leaving the door a little bit open.

"How'd you know I just talked with Matt?"

"One, Francis told me. Two, I could figure as much from your face." He got into a crisscross position and looked up at Alfred. "So."

"So..." Alfred looked as if he was trying his hardest not to look at the floor. "I...I'msorryforbeingsuchanidiotandIreallymeantitw henIsaidthatIdidn'tmeanwhatIhadsaidwellmaybealittl ebitbut-"

"Alfred, slow down!" Alfred paused and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want that date to turn into the last date we had. Although I suppose that doesn't justify what I did..." He sighed. "I can't exactly expect you to forgive me, given how much I've screwed up..."

"Just what makes you think that?" Alfred looked at Arthur in surprise. "While you _were _an idiot, I was an idiot as well. I shouldn't have exploded on you so irrationally like that."

"You had every right to!" Arthur gave him a weak smile.

"We're both idiots, let's just leave it at that..." He put a hand on his forehead. "Francis was right; we need to work on our communication skills..."

"No kidding." Alfred chuckled nervously. "So do you forgive me?"

"Do you forgive me?"

"Of course!" Arthur nodded.

"Then I forgive you as well, simple as that." They both looked at each other. "That... I didn't expect us to make up that quick. Mind you, I'll be a bit sore about this, but I didn't think that..."

"Matthew was right," Alfred interrupted, his voice filled with awe. "We _are_ closer than this."

"Naturally we are," Arthur agreed in wonder. He was just as surprised as Alfred that they had managed to make up so quickly. "The relationship we have isn't something that would survive if we didn't have deep underlying emotion from each other."

"Deep underlying emotion, huh..." Unless it was in Arthur's imagination, Alfred had sounded hopeful. "You know Art, from now I'm changing our relationship."

"You're what?!"

"Yeah!" Alfred's voice rose in determination, ignoring Arthur's look of surprise. "I'll change it so that even though we fight, neither of us has to worry if we won't make up after months! I'll change it so that we can look back at our past without worry! I'll change it so that we can actually communicate, whether by words or actions! I'll change it for the better, just you see Arthur!"

"Alfred, that's..." Against his will, Arthur started to laugh. "You really are something, aren't you? I hope that you keep to your word though. I want things to change between us as well."

"By the way," Alfred said as he sat down at the edge of the bed. "You mentioned in your rant that you wanted to change our relationship even further... in what way had you meant?"

Arthur looked away. "You wanted to change our relationship too..."

"Well yeah, but..." Alfred paused. "Hey, can I tell you something? Now might not be the best time, but I _did _say that I wanted to change our relationship..."

"What do you want to say?"

He gulped. "I wanted to say that I... that I... that I lo-!"

_CRASH!_

"Francis, the hell did you do that for?!"

"I only leant in by a little bit!"

Arthur and Alfred turned towards the door. Matthew and Francis were there, having fallen through the doorway.

"Were you eavesdropping on us?" Arthur demanded.

"Yes," Matthew answered without skipping a beat. "But we've ruined things."

"No kidding." Alfred was glaring darts at them. "Not cool. Not cool at all."

"You two made up though, so that's good..." Francis said as he and Matthew stood back up. "All we need to do now is to overcome the last hurdle."

"Which we could have passed already had a certain somebody not leant in when he did..." Matthew grumbled. Francis looked sheepish.

"Well yes, but don't worry _Matthieu. _ Despite this minor setback, I have a feeling that they will overcome this last hurdle soon."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 6_


	25. Gazing Into Each Other's Eyes

"We missed out on all that drama?!" Nicolae groaned as he slapped his forehead with his hand. Five people in total were in the dining room, all of them sitting at the edge of the table. Nicolae was sitting to the left of the head of the table. He was wearing a black jacket and dark jeans, somehow managing to stay cool despite the heat. "Why didn't we come by to visit sometime sooner?!"

"Come off Nicolae, we would've made things worse," Damyan commented. He was sitting right next to Nicolae. He was wearing an olive green shirt and tan jeans, ordinary clothes that balanced out the overly eccentric personality of his friend. "I mean, haven't you notice that us friends of theirs have been impeding their progress?"

"We just did so quite recently too, as I just told you," Matthew grumbled from where he was at the head of the table. He was wearing a red hoodie with the Canadian flag on it as well as some loose jeans. "Ain't that right Francis?"

"_Matthieu,_ will you please stop holding that over my head? I am just as upset over it as you." Francis drank from his cup of apple juice. He was to Matthew's right, wearing a white sweater and light brown pants. "At the very least, we helped them make up in the first place."

"Still, I cannot help but think of all the flags they have set up already." Kiku sipped from his cup of water. He was dressed in a simple black T-shirt and jeans. "It's simply stunning how they aren't together."

"Which is exactly why it's our quest to help them!" Nicolae said brightly. "Even though we haven't exactly been helpful, I like to think that we helped them with their progress, even if it's only by a mere centimeter."

"Now that I think about it, where are they now?" Damyan asked. "I haven't seen them since we got here..."

"That's because we had this meeting before either of you could see them," Matthew replied. "As to where they are, where else? The backyard's their favorite place in the whole house."

"The backyard, eh?" Nicolae stroked his nonexistent beard. "Guys, I don't care if we're going to mess something up; let's see if we can quicken this process."

''''''''

"Now why..." Arthur was quivering from where he sat. He was wearing a dark red shirt and jeans. "...in the world are we doing this?"

All seven teens where sitting in the circle under a tree in the backyard. Nicolae sat next to Damyan, who was right next to Matthew. Matthew was next to Francis, who sat next to Kiku. Kiku was sitting to Alfred's left with Arthur on his right, leaving Arthur to be right next to Nicolae. Nicolae smiled serenely at him.

"Because it's fun, right?" Arthur scowled at his response.

"'Fun'? _Fun?_ Here we all are gathered in a circle after you came bargingthrough the backyard demanding we have a little powwow right here and now."

"It's pretty fun though, right Art?" Alfred smiled as he poked the other. He was wearing a light blue sweatshirt and sweatpants. Arthur only rolled his eyes in response, but he visibly softened. "But why _did_ you guys call us out here? Actually, when did you guys get here in the first place?"

"We've been here for a long time kid, just how engrossed in your date were you guys?" Alfred and Arthur avoided Damyan's question.

"So anyways, why _are _you guys here?"

"Well, we'll just cut the crap and just get to the point," Nicolae laid his head on the bridge created by his interlocked hands. "We want you two to do what we've been trying to get you two to do: get together."

"This has been going on for far too long," Matthew said before either teen could reply. "It really means something when a guy who's been there for a good chunk of you guys' lives says that."

"_Oui, _I second that." Francis nodded his head in agreement. "A one-sided love is one thing, but if a love is obviously reciprocated, then what is, as you would say, the holdup?"

"You two obviously have deep feelings for each other," Damyan added. "It's high time you two came out with them already. Seriously you two, your confessions are _way _overdue."

"Yes." Both Alfred and Arthur turned to Kiku in shock. While it was understandable if the others had said those kinds of words, it just made it seem more real if Kiku was the one who said it. "I firmly believe that it's time for you two to make a choice and choose your ending."

Neither Arthur nor Alfred spoke after that. Arthur looked at Nicolae, then Matthew, then Francis, then Damyan, and then Kiku in shock.

"You guys... Just what in the world makes you think that I'd confess with all of you right here?" Nicolae tilted his head in thought.

"Oh, so you want privacy? That's fine, just get it over with already."

"That's not the point!" Arthur snapped. "The point is, you can't just force me and Alfred to get together! These things happen naturally!"

"Just how 'naturally' do you want this to get? Until we're all fossils?" Matthew took in a deep breath. "Look, we wouldn't put so much stress onto it if it wasn't so painstakingly obvious."

"Emphasis on the 'painstakingly'."

"Damyan." He shrugged when Matthew just sent him a look. "But anyways, as Francis said, why the holdup?"

"Because." The others jumped when they had heard Alfred's voice. Although the boy had a tendency to just go on and on, it was surprising when he was quiet for rather long periods of time. Even more surprising was when he talked afterwards, somehow managing to sound much older than his age. "There are still things we need to sort out."

"What things?" Both Arthur and Nicolae had spoken at the same time. Alfred shrugged.

"Just things."

"What thi-?"

"Just leave the boy alone for now," Francis, of all people, said sternly. He looked at Alfred with a knowing look. "If he says there are things that he is worried about, then let him figure that out in peace. He will simply just ask us if he needs any of our aid."

Alfred smiled gratefully. "Thanks Francis."

"Well." Nicolae leaned back. "Why don't we all just sit around here and keep talking then now that we apparently failed? It's pretty comforting in my opinion."

"What should we talk about though?" Kiku asked. Nicolae just shrugged in reply.

"It's your call."

"Since we're in the topic of relationships..." Alfred leaned forward. "How are you and Damyan?"

"What about us?"

"Come on, it's pretty obvious that you two are more than just friends." Nicolae and Damyan just stared at him.

"Oh, you did _not_ just throw that at us." Alfred grinned wickedly.

"It's your fault for shooting that bullet. Who says that I can't use it against you?" Nicolae frowned.

"Okay, now that's just low."

"How about this then..." Alfred's grin grew. "If you two confess to each other, then I'll confess to Arthur. Is that okay with you?"

"Excuse me?" This time, I was Arthur and Damyan that had spoken at the same time.

"Alfred, you _are _not getting into that promise," Arthur protested. "They might actually do it!"

"What's the problem Arthur?" Matthew smiled a little when the other glared at him. "I personally think that it's a win-win situation."

"I concur. Bringing together two couples at one sitting?" Francis grinned. "Now _that _is hitting two birds with one stone... two _love_birds with one stone."

"I'm done." Nicolae brought Arthur down when the other tried to stand up to get away.

"Oh no, you're not done until I am." Nicolae turned towards Damyan. "Damyan, it's obvious that you're the closest person to me here, right?"

"Nicolae," Damyan said exasperatedly. "We are _not _doing this."

"Oh yes we are." The other suddenly frowned. "Damyan, I've stayed as just your friend, but even you know that I want us to be more than what we are already. Hell, we just need to make it official! It's not like much would change."

"Everything would!" Damyan protested, his face now red. "I mean, it's not like I'm _opposed_, but... Dammit Nicolae, we're not doing this now!"

"Why are you arguing right now then if you're not opposed?" Nicolae all but demanded. "I don't see why you are! We're close friends, that much is for sure, but can't we be closer than that as well? What exactly would change?"

"Like I said, everything!" Damyan shook his head. "It's just... those sorts of things... It's sort of embarrassing..."

"I don't care!" Nicolae looked into his eyes. "I love you, you love me... don't make me sing the whole Barney song just to let you confess!"

"See? It _is _embarrassing if you brought up the Barney song!" Damyan sighed. "Fine, I... I don't not hate you too."

"The hell is that? I want the whole thing." Damyan glared at him.

"Nicolae, I swear... Fine, I l... I love you, okay?!" Nicolae beamed and then turned to Alfred.

"See? Now was that so hard? Now 'fess up." Alfred shrugged.

"I never said _when _I would, right?" Matthew rolled his eyes.

"I knew you'd play that card at us. At the very least, we got these two to confess."

"I believe that we have intruded upon these two for too long." Francis stood up and stretched. "Wouldn't you agree Kiku?"

"Yes." He glanced at Arthur and Alfred. "I believe that we should leave these two some time to think by themselves. Who knows? They might discover something."

''''''

"I don't get what's on their minds..." Arthur said once they were out of sight. "Honestly, why do we have such a weird group of friends?"

"We're weird people, why shouldn't we have weird friends?" Alfred shrugged. "Although, they were rather interesting today, don't you think?"

"If you're talking about Damyan and Nicolae, then yes, it was interesting. About time too." Arthur chuckled. "Those two seem to others like close friends on the surface, but it's easy to see just how close they really are. They're like partners, those two."

"Heh, you got that right." There was a brief silence.

"Hey Alfred..." Arthur started out slowly. "Will you actually hold up your end of the bargain?"

"What, the confessing part? Naturally." He gave Arthur, who had grown red, a little smile. "Would I have offered to do so if I hadn't meant it?"

"Yes." Alfred groaned.

"Arthur, I've told you before that I don't like hurting you. Teasing you is one thing, but I don't like lying and I don't want to lie about something that could possibly hurt you." He took out his hand and made a thumbs-up. "You're my thumb, remember? You're what keeps me together."

"Well yes, but..." Arthur bit his lip. "What were those things that you need to sort out?" Alfred pondered for a second.

"Hey Arthur."

"Yes?"

"Remember when we went to GameStop?" Arthur nodded his head yes. "I had told you that there were some things that people are too scared to say."

"You're scared?" Arthur blinked in surprise. "But you don't seem like you're scared to confess."

"Oh, I'm not scared of confessing. I'm scared because..." He hesitated. "Because I'm not sure of how you'll take it." He looked at his eyes. "How would you take it if I had confessed to you?"

Arthur didn't answer. Instead, he just held Alfred's gaze, lime-green held sky blue. It was often said that the eyes were the portal to the mind and soul. While Arthur had looked Alfred in the eyes before, this was the only time he could ever remember actually _looking _at Alfred. Looking into his eyes, he saw how genuinely frightened Alfred was of how he would take his confession. He also saw how genuine his feelings for Arthur were, and even though the boy was a jokester, this was just about the one thing that wouldn't change.

"I..." Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I believe that I would take it well." He met Alfred's eyes again. This time, his eyes spoke of an immeasurable happiness.

"Then... Arthur." He took a breath as well and looked Arthur in the eye. "I lo-!"

"Arthur, Alfred!" Both teens turned to see Kiku jogging up to them. "Your mother has made us food. Would you like some?"

Alfred smiled an exasperated smile. "Sure Kiku. I would love some."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 5_


	26. Getting Married

_**Edit: **__Chapter 13 has been edited slightly._

* * *

Alfred opened the door. _Whew, _he thought as he fanned the air in front of him. _I really need to clean this place._

He walked into the dusty room that was the Jones's storage room. Boxes and trunks were scattered around the room, some covered in old tarps, some not. Some of the boxes were stacked while others were lying on the ground with their lids opened, exposing their contents. The windows were closed, leaving the room bathed in darkness.

Alfred coughed, pressing a handkerchief onto his face. _Man, it really is dusty in here... I really have to get to cleaning this place up, huh?_ He sighed. Cleaning the Jones's storage room had been Alfred's job for a while now. While his mother occasionally cleaned it herself, she never really found the time to. Matthew tried sometimes too, but he couldn't handle the amount of dust in the room. It would have been rude to ask either the Kirklands or the Bonnefoys to clean the storage room, so the job had been handed down to Alfred. He didn't do much of a good job of it. No matter how many times he had tried to clean the storage room, he never got to actually doing it, leaving the room to just accumulate dust.

This time though, Alfred was determined to clean this place once and for all.

Wrapping the handkerchief around his face, Alfred walked back outside before coming back in with a duster, wipes, and a cleaning solution in his hands. _Where should I start first?_ He thought as he looked around.

Something in one of the open boxes caught his eye. Several books ranging from novels to picture books were stacked inside the box. One book in particular caught Alfred's eyes. _Isn't that one of Arthur's old books?_ He walked towards the book and crouched down, putting his stuff to the side so that it was out of the way. He picked up the book, recognizing its brown binding and dark green cover. The book lacked an author and a title. _I wonder how it got here...?_

His mind went back to the first time he had seen the book, and by extension, the first time he had seen Arthur.

'''''

_ Alfred stood behind his mother, his head peeking out from behind her back. Matthew was right behind him and was clutching the back of Alfred's shirt. _

"_Who are you?" Alfred asked bluntly to the stranger in front of his mother. The man smiled but said nothing._

_ "Alfred, Matthew." Both boys looked up at their mother. "This is Mr. Kirkland. He and his son came from a different country."_

_ Alfred craned his neck to look at the boy standing right next to his father. The boy looked to be around Alfred's age, with messy blonde hair and incredibly thick eyebrows. He was standing stiffly, a simple book in his hands. He would have looked like a schoolboy if not for his intimidating aura. The boy glared at him with bright green eyes._

_ "What do you want?" He had an accent in his voice._

_ "Arthur." The boy turned away when his father scolded him. "Be nice."_

_ Alfred's mother cleared her throat. "You see boys, these two needs a place to stay, so they're going to be living here from now on."_

_ "They are?" Matthew squeaked. "Okay..."_

_ Alfred glanced back at the boy. Even though he had been rude to him, Alfred couldn't help but think that Arthur was feeling... _Why is he sad? _He t__hought to himself. _I wonder, can I make him smile?

_ "Alright," he said, still looking at the boy. "Welcome to the family."_

'''''

Chuckling at the memory, Alfred stood up, the book in his hands. _I bet he'd like this back... Now that I think about it, he never told me what this book is. _He looked around the room, as if remembering that he had work to do. _Oh right, I have to clean..._

His eyes wandered to an object on the side of the room. _Wait a minute... isn't that...? _Alfred's mind wandered as he approached the object, crouching down once he was there. The object was a red and yellow diamond patterned toy box with yellow spires coming up from the four corners. Alfred opened the box, finding several toy soldiers inside. _It is! _A wave of nostalgia hit him. _Heh, I still remember when Arthur had given this to me... Now that I think about it, I think that's when he started to open up to me and started acting more like a big brother..._

Before Alfred could stop it, a memory resurfaced.

'''''

_ "Hey, what are you doing with that?!"_

_ Alfred turned back to see Arthur scowling at him. He put the toy soldier down beside the box. "It's not _my_ fault that you left it out here for everyone to see."_

_ "It's _your _fault that you touched them in the first place!" Arthur countered as he walked quickly to the box. He moved Alfred to the side and inspected the box with a frown. "What are you even doing in my room in the first place? Haven't you heard of privacy?"_

_ Alfred gestured to the plastic ball at the foot of the desk. "Me and Matt were playing ball and it rolled in here 'cause you left the door opened." Arthur scowled._

_ "I'll make sure to close my door from now on. And it's 'Matt and I', not 'me and Matt'." Alfred rolled his eyes._

_ "Does it matter? But anyways, these are cool! I looked through them and they have different faces and stuff!" He picked up the toy soldier again. "Where'd you get them?"_

_ "It's an old family heirloom. In short, they're priceless," Arthur answered gruffly. "So if you break them, it means bad news."_

_ "I'm not going to break it!"_

"_Sure you aren't." Arthur rolled his eyes. "Can you just leave already? You're bothering me."_

"_Why are you like that?" Alfred asked. "How come you're all angry and sad and stuff?" Arthur hesitated for a short second._

_ "It doesn't matter to you," he said finally. "Now go away."_

_ "No way," Alfred replied back immediately. "I'm finally having a proper conversation with you. Do you know how long I've been trying to do that?"_

_ "No I do not, nor do I care why you try to talk to me in the first place." He glared at Alfred. "Now can you just put that down and leave already?" Alfred narrowed his eyes at him._

_ "Fine..." He reluctantly put the soldier back inside the box. "I just want to be friends you know... We live in the same place, so we might as well be on good terms with each other. Plus, I want to see if I can make you smile."_

_ "Smile..." Arthur sounded rather stunned. "You're an odd one, aren't you? Why in the world do you want to see me smile?"_

_ "Because I want to be friends! You seem like a good person Arthur, so why not? And you seem like you're sad about something, so I want to make you smile!" The other just looked at him._

_ "Very odd indeed..." He looked as if he was thinking about something. After a while, he gestured to the box. "Hey, do you want this?" Alfred gaped at him._

_ "But you said it was priceless!" Arthur shrugged._

_ "You'll make better use of it than I would. Plus, I doubt my father would mind. It's mine after all, so I can give it to anyone I want to give it to." He looked at Alfred. "And I don't think he would mind it if I gave it to you. Just make sure you don't break it, okay?"_

_ Alfred kept on staring at him. Finally, he nodded. "Thanks Arthur! You're the best!" He stared even more when Arthur smiled._

_ "There's no need to thank me. Now just go away. You've intruded on my room for long enough. And I'm sure that Matthew is tired of waiting for you, so just go back and play your game already." Alfred nodded, crouched down to take the ball, and started to run back to Matthew. He looked at Arthur when he was at the door. The other made a shooing motion when he saw Alfred looking at him. Alfred grinned._

_He was pleased to see that the other still had a smile on his face._

'''''

_ When did it get here? _Alfred wondered. _I'm pretty sure I left it in my room... Mom probably found it while I was away at school and placed it here for safe-keeping... Can't say I blame her. The storage room is one of the safest places to keep priceless things like this in._

Alfred closed the lid and stood up. _See, this is why I can never clean this place. There are just too many memories in here. It's distracting._

His eye caught something else in the room. In a half-daze, he walked over to a square wooden trunk in the back of the room. He opened it and found a powder blue tuxedo folded inside as well as several photo albums.

_This..._ One memory came to mind, one that Alfred could never forget.

'''''

_"Your storage room is actually pretty clean."_

_ Alfred laughed as Arthur looked around the small room. The windows were opened, revealing a room filled with boxes and trunks. "You say that now, but just you wait. Someday, this storage room will be like a proper storage room with musty air and dust flying everywhere. I can't wait until that day!"_

_ "Why would anyone want that?" Arthur looked at the boxes. "Thanks for taking me here though. I needed a place to avoid Francis, and this place is perfect."_

_ "No problem Artie, what are bros for?" They started to walk towards the back of the room. "But what did Francis do this time?"_

_ "Oh, it's just the same old, same old." Arthur waved off the question. "This time we were fighting over which of you two were better."_

_ They stopped in front of a square wooden trunk. "You picked me, right?"_

_ "Of course I chose you." Arthur ruffled Alfred's hair affectionately. Ever since that day with the toy box, Arthur had started to dote on Alfred. Alfred had a feeling that Arthur had grown fond of him. He didn't mind. He quite enjoyed having Arthur's affections. Plus, he had grown fond of Arthur as well. It was hard to imagine life without him now. "You're practically like my little brother; why wouldn't I choose you?" _

_ "Yeah..." Alfred's smile faltered. "Hey, have you heard the rumors?"_

_ "You mean the ones about how people think our parents will marry?"_

_ "Yeah, those ones. Do you..." Alfred hesitated. "Do you think that will ever happen?" Arthur pondered the question._

_ "Only time can tell. I doubt it though. They don't seem to like each other that way. Although..." His tone became wistful. "I wouldn't particularly mind it if it happened. That would make us officially brothers."_

_ "It would, wouldn't it..." Alfred bit his lip. "Anyways, do you want to look at the stuff here now that we're here? I don't come here much myself, but I'm pretty sure that there are some things in here that are cool..." He bent down in front of the trunk. "So do you want to open this trunk and see what's inside?"_

_ "Go for it." Alfred opened the trunk._

_ "A tuxedo, huh...And some photo albums too!" His eyes turned towards one of the albums. The corner of a photo jutted out of one of them. He picked it up, his eyes widening at the scene pictured. "That's my mom over there! She's wearing a fancy dress... Hey, I think these are wedding pictures!" Alfred showed the photo to Arthur. "See? But who's that guy over there at the side? It looks like he's wearing some kind of robe or something..."_

_ "That's the priest you idiot." Alfred stuck his tongue out. _

"_It's not like I could have known that!" A sudden thought came up on his mind. "Hey... do you need a priest for a wedding?" Arthur looked at him quizzically._

_ "I think that's a given." Alfred frowned._

"_Who says that the priest has to be in a wedding?" He put the photo back in the trunk. "The bride and the groom are the most important, right?"_

"_Well, yes, but sti-!"_

"_Oh lighten up Artie!" Alfred threw his head back and laughed. "You need to chill out sometimes. I mean, are we seriously going to have an argument on whether or not a priest has to be there?" Arthur crossed his arms._

"_Yes." The two boys looked at each other and before bursting into raucous laughter._

"_This is getting out of hand," Arthur said as he wiped a tear off his eye. He looked back down at the trunk. "Why'd you ask if you need a priest for a wedding anyways?"_

"_N… n-no reason!" Alfred, who had been laughing just a few seconds ago, suddenly turned serious. "By the way, how does… err…" He started to fidget. "How did those… um… vows go again?"_

"_I believe they start out with some religious stuff and they keep saying some fancy words. I only really remember the 'in sickness and in health' parts and stuff."_

"_Can you say them for me?" Arthur raised an eyebrow._

_ "I think it goes something like 'Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?'"_

_ "I do," Alfred said automatically. "So the one for the bride to answer would go 'Wilt thou love him, comfort him, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?'"_

_ "Yes, that's how it would go." Arthur tilted his head when Alfred kept looking at him. "Then 'I do'."_

_ "Oh, so we're married now?" The other cuffed him at the back of his head._

_ "Idiot, we need a priest for that."_

_ "Okay, we are _not _going to have that argument."_

_ "True." The other smiled. "But really Alfred, why are you asking all these marriage questions all of a sudden?"_

_ "So that I know what will happen when I marry you." Arthur chuckled._

_ "You wouldn't want to marry me."_

_ "Why not? I like having you around and I like you, so why shouldn't I want to spend my life with you?"_

_ "I want to be with you as well, but we don't need to be married for that. After all, we're like brothers, right? That's more than enough." Alfred attempted to return Arthur's smile._

_ "Yeah... but just for the record, that counted as a marriage, so we're technically married now."_

_ Arthur rolled his eyes amusedly. "Whatever you say."_

_ "So that's a yes?"_

_ "No."_

_ "Why not?"_

_ "Because there wasn't a priest."_

'''''

"Alfred, don't tell me that you couldn't clean the storage room again."

Alfred shrugged, his cleaning stuff in his hands as well as the book he had picked up in the storage room. "Why don't you clean it then?"

Matthew sighed. "I swear, just what exactly did you do in there then? You were there for an awfully long time."

"What, a guy can't reminiscence in peace?" Alfred paused. "You know, I don't think he thought I was serious at that time even though I was."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't even think that he even remembers that time," he continued. "Or maybe he does..."

"Al, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"It doesn't matter." Alfred shrugged again. "Hey Matt, where's Arthur? I have something of his that I found in there."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. He looked like he was going to ask something, but then ultimately decided not to. "He's in his room." Alfred nodded.

"Thanks. Oh and Matt?" The other looked at him. "When I get married, make sure that there's a priest."

"Isn't that a given?" Alfred only smiled. "Who would you get married to anyways?"

"Who do you think?" Matthew chuckled at his answer. "But Matt, I'm going to need you to gather Nicolae and the others sometime soon."

"How come?"

"Because I need you guys' help."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 4_

_P.S. The toy box and the tuxedo come from Hetalia canon (they're from the actual storage cleaning episode), so they're not mine. The book I just made up._


	27. On One of their Birthdays

_ "Hey Arthur."_

_ Arthur looked up to see Alfred in front of him. He was on all fours and was trying to look over the book Arthur was reading. While it would normally have annoyed Arthur to have someone come into his room uninvited, he had made exceptions for Alfred a long time ago. He put his book to his side. "Yes Alfred?"_

_ "Do you have anyone you like?" Arthur furrowed his eyebrows._

_ "I like you, don't I?"_

_ "No I mean... do you have anyone you love?" Arthur narrowed his eyes._

_ "Have you been talking to Francis?" Alfred nodded. "He needs to learn to keep his mouth shut. Please tell me he hasn't been telling you any... weird stuff." The other shook his head._

_ "Nah, he was talking about this one girl he met in town who's apparently really cute. He claims that he's in love with her." He rolled his eyes. "Anyways, long story short, he ended up giving me a lecture about love."_

_ "What did he say?"_

_ "He said that love is that feeling you get when you're with someone special. He said that when you're in love, you just know that the other person is the one." This time, it was Arthur who rolled his eyes._

_ "He's not wrong, but he's not right either. People who wholeheartedly believe that find themselves falling in love several times, most of them ending in failure."_

_ "What do you think love is then, if you're not going by Francis's definition?" _

_ "I think love is when..." Arthur hesitated. "I think love is when you can't imagine life without a certain person by your side. That no matter what happens between those two, they'll always be together. That's what I think love is." Alfred didn't say anything in reply._

"_How long will you and your father live here?" He asked after a long while. Arthur looked at him quizzically._

_ "We don't have any plans to leave, so a long time I suppose. Why do you ask? Do you want us to move out or something?" Dread filled Arthur's gut. He had been sure that the other boy was as fond of Arthur as Arthur was to him. What if Alfred suddenly didn't like him?_

_ "Of course not!" To Arthur's relief, Alfred looked horrified at the idea. "I just wanted to know if you would be moving out anytime."_

_ "I doubt it. Even if we were, I'd just run back here, wouldn't I?" Alfred smiled at that. "But why are you asking?"_

_ "No reason really. It's just that I'm used to having you around." Arthur nodded._

_ "I have been here for a long time. It's only natural that you'd feel that way." Alfred shook his head._

_ "So has Francis, but it's different with you. I can't imagine life without you."_

_ Arthur chuckled. "Those are words you should say to someone you love. While I have no doubt that you love me, those are words you should say to someone you want to marry. Some day when you meet a nice girl that you love, you tell her those words, okay?"_

_ "Will Arthur still be there when I get married?" Arthur chuckled again._

_ "Me? I'd just get in the way."_

_ "No you wouldn't," Alfred said with a frown. "Hey, can you promise that you'll always be with me?"_

_ "I can't promise that indefinitely... But I promise I'll try to." The other boy shook his head._

_ "That's not good enough." Arthur was startled to see the intensity in Alfred's eyes. "Because no matter what happens in the future, I want you to always be by my side."_

'''''

Arthur sat up groggily, his dream still fresh in his mind. _My dreams have been awfully odd lately..._ He thought as he stretched. _It's not often that I dream of past events. That was a long time ago... I wonder if he remembers that conversation?_ He got off his bed. _Probably not._

He went off and took a shower before changing into a navy blue shirt and gray sweatpants. For some odd reason, he put on the bomber jacket Alfred had given him. He didn't know why, but he felt like he should wear it today.

He started to make his way towards the dining room. _That's odd... _Arthur thought as he walked. _I haven't run into anyone yet. Sure it's still morning, but by now, Alfred or Francis or even Matthew would be making some sort of ruckus._

Arthur's trip to the dining room was as uneventful as his morning had been so far. He looked around, surprised not to see a soul. _I haven't been transported into an alternate world, have I?_ He walked towards the kitchen and poked his head in, goose bumps breaking out on his arm when he didn't find Alfred's mother in there. _This is too weird... Just where is everybody?_

Arthur started to make a list in his head of all the possible places the others could be. _They could be anywhere... Mrs. Jones could be out doing errands or grocery shopping, so I'm not too worried about her... Francis might have gone out to town... It's not unusual for Matthew to sleep in... But what about Alfred? He could be out walking Lucky or sleeping in or at the storage room or..._

Frowning, Arthur started to make his way towards the backyard. _I'm just going on a whim, but if I end up finding Alfred, I'll have to ask him about all of this. My rule of thumb is that whenever something weird happens, it's usually Nicolae's or Gilbert's or Alfred's fault._

He opened the door to the backyard. The moment he stepped outside, confetti obscured his vision.

"The hell?!" Arthur got over his shock to look at his surroundings clearly. Nicolae and Damyan were at his sides, having been the ones who had blown off the confetti cannons. There was a table set up at the side where Mrs. Jones and his father were. On top of the table was a store-bought Victoria sponge cake- Arthur's favorite cake. Kiku and Francis were standing near the presents on the bench, presumably having been chatting before Arthur's appearance. Alfred and Matthew were leaning over the railings, both of them now turned towards Arthur. He stared at all of them in shock. "What are you all doing out here?"

"Don't tell me..." Nicolae looked at him in surprise. "No, you couldn't have."

"Doesn't that thing only happen in books?" Damyan said. "But really, how do you forget the day you were birthed?"

"Birth-?" It hit Arthur like a stampede of unicorns. Alfred grinned at him.

"Happy Birthday Art." He walked up to him and patted him on the back. "You are officially an old man."

"Wh..." On instinct, he smacked Alfred's arm. "I'm not much older than you, you idiot!"

"Honestly Alfred, can't you lay off of teasing Arthur for one day?" Matthew looked at his brother exasperatedly, the other having stuck his tongue out to him. "But anyways, how'd you not remember today was your own birthday?"

Arthur blushed. He wasn't going to tell him about his dream. "I just didn't."

"That's rather sad, isn't it?" Arthur glared at Francis. "But alas, I must hold my tongue for today. I must say though, was it coincidence that you decided to wear Alfred's jacket today?"

"Speaking of which, Alfred was the one who had organized this little surprise," Kiku interjected before Arthur could reply. "He invited us all and had us help him figure out a way to surprise you. Even though it's a small party, he made sure that everything went according to plan."

"And it did!" Alfred said brightly as he led Arthur down the stairs. "Now can we cut it out with all the conversation? Your dad and my mom were the ones who chose the cake, and I can't wait to eat it! By the way, why is your favorite cake so plain?"

"Do I look like a flashy person to you?" Arthur smiled, although the smile faltered a second later. _I wonder, should I ask him about the dream?_ He looked at Alfred's grinning face. _...Maybe later. Right now, I have a party to enjoy._

'''''

"Hey Arthur."

Arthur looked up to see Alfred in front of him. He was on all fours and was trying to look over the book Arthur was reading. While it would normally have annoyed Arthur to have someone come into his room uninvited, he had made exceptions for Alfred a long time ago. He put his book to his side. "Yes Alfred?"

"How was the party?" He plopped down right next to Arthur, turning to his side with a hand propped up to support his head. Arthur moved so that he was turned towards the other as well.

"Did you really have to eat all of that cake?" Alfred chuckled.

"Your fault for liking such a small cake." He paused as if something was on his mind. "You wore my jacket today."

"I... I just felt like I should today..." Arthur mumbled with a red face. "I'm not wearing it now though. At the moment, it's safe and sound in my closet, so you don't have to worry."

"I'm not. I know you'll take care of it." Alfred smiled. "You really should wear it more though. It looks good on you. By the way, did you like my present?"

Arthur glanced at his study table. "How did you know that I wanted the full Sherlock Holmes set?"

"I know you. Mind you, your Christmas present won't be that fancy this year." Arthur chuckled.

"I don't mind. But anyways, thanks for everything. The set, the party... You didn't have to do that much for me."

"Are you kidding me?" Alfred looked incredulous. "Even though it was a bit simple, I wanted to make sure that your birthday was special. Now that I think about it, how come you forgot that today was your birthday? Those are the kinds of things that people remember!"

"I know, it's just-!" Arthur bit his lip. "I just...I just did, okay?!" Alfred started to frown.

"Arthur, is something the matter? You didn't get any weird dreams or anything, right?" Arthur hesitated.

"Actually, I had a dream last night... It wasn't a bad dream, but it was something that made me forget that today was my birthday."

"What was the dream?"

"It wasn't a dream, per se, just a memory from the past..." He saw Alfred stiffen slightly.

"What kind of memory...?"

"Don't worry, it wasn't anything bad." Alfred relaxed. "But I doubt you remember it."

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Try me. I have a better memory than you'd think... Only when it comes to you though."

Arthur reddened. "Don't say those kinds of things... Those are words you should say to someone you want to marry."

Alfred's expression changed into one of recognition. "You dreamt of that conversation, huh? You actually remember it?"

"I should be saying that to you!" Alfred scoffed.

"Like I would forget that... Funny you should mention that though. I tried to clean the storage room pretty recently and I remembered a few stuff as well."

"Like what?"

He waved his hand absentmindedly. "When I met you, when you started to open up to me, when we got married... stuff like that."

"Hey wait a minute, we've never gotten..." Arthur reddened when he remembered. "You... You remember that?"

"Of course I did. Those are the kinds of things that people remember... Especially since I meant everything that I had said to you." He took Arthur's hand. "Like how I meant it when I said that I wanted you to always be by my side."

Arthur blushed. "Don't... don't say those kinds of things. Those-"

"-are words you should say to someone you want to marry'?" Alfred finished his sentence with a glint in his eyes. "Then yeah, I'm saying the right thing."

Before he could answer, Alfred let go of his hand and got off Arthur's bed. "Well, I best be going," he said as he walked towards the door. "I'm sort of sleepy, and I have a feeling that if I say anything more, someone will interrupt us like usual." He looked back at Arthur as he opened the door. "Good night Arthur, and happy birthday."

Arthur was speechless as the other left. _Well, _he thought to himself. _He certainly meant it when he said that he wanted to make my birthday special. A good husband takes care of his spouse after all, right?_

He paused, his face growing red yet again. _Note to self: _never_ tell Alfred that you had thought that._

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 3_


	28. Doing Something Ridiculous

"_Alfred, what are you doing?"_

_Alfred turned to him, toy handcuffs in his hands. The other boy was leaning on the frame of his door, his hands crossed across his chest. "Can't you tell? I'm a policeman!"_

"_That's fine and all, but can you not play pretend in the hallway? You're making a ruckus loud enough to wake the dead." Even though Arthur sounded exasperated, a smile was forming on his face. "But you said a policeman, right? Just last week you wanted to be a fireman; what caused this change of heart?"_

"_I just want to be someone strong!" Alfred said passionately. "So that I could protect the weak! Like you!"_

_Arthur walked up to him and thumped him at the back of the head. "What was that supposed to mean?"_

_Alfred rubbed the spot where Arthur had hit him. "What it means is that I'll always be there for you Arthur!"_

_Arthur smiled. "That really is a nice thing to sa-"_

"_Although I'm reconsidering it now that you've hit me..." Arthur looked like he was trying not to laugh._

"_You really are an oddball, aren't you Alfred?"_

"_Hey!" Alfred pouted, a smile tugging on his lips. "I may be an oddball, but I'm your oddball!"_

"_My oddball little brother, yes." At this point, Arthur couldn't contain his laughter and was laughing in between his words. "Who wants to be a hero to boot."_

"_A hero, that's it!" Alfred widened his eyes as a realization struck him. "How come I hadn't thought of that before? Thanks Arthur!"_

_Arthur ruffled his head affectionately. "Don't actually try to be like the heroes in the media. The world isn't set up that way."_

"_That may be, but a hero isn't necessarily someone who beats up bad guys... even though that's really cool. A hero is someone who protects people and make others happy, and that's exactly the kind of person I want to be!"_

_Arthur smiled. "That's an admirable thing to be Alfred."_

"_Right?" Alfred looked up at him, an idea forming in his head. "Starting with you!"_

_Arthur tilted his head. "Whatever do you mean?"_

_Alfred didn't look like he was listening. "A hero is someone who protects the people's smiles... and who else to start with than the person whose smile I treasure the most?"_

"_Alfred, what are you talking about?"_

"_I know that I'll be the people's hero someday, but I have to start small, right? So I'll start by being your hero!" Alfred was grinning as he took the bewildered boy's hand. "Just you wait Arthur; I'll become your hero for sure!"_

'''''

"Uwaaaaaah!" Alfred reached out for the sun, blocking out its glare. "It feels great to be out in the beach!"

An expanse of yellow surrounded Alfred on all sides, people in the masses peppering its surface. He stretched, basking in the warm sunlight.

"Kesesese, showing off, are you?" Alfred lurched forward when Gilbert thumped his back. "Not that I blame you though. That body of yours is one most men would kill for! Although it's no match for me or my brother, right Lud?"

Gilbert moved Alfred so that he was facing where Ludwig, Kiku, and Feliciano were at. Ludwig was Gilbert's younger brother, although the two siblings looked nothing like each other. Ludwig was taller than Gilbert and had sleek blonde hair with light blue eyes. He had a rather muscular build, one that was evident even when he wasn't wearing his swim wear.

Then there was Feliciano, who was Lovino's younger brother. The cheery Italian had short brown hair and brown eyes and like his brother, he sported a hair curl, although hid came out from the left side of his head. At the moment, Feliciano was playing in the water and was calling out to Kiku and Ludwig, both of whom were on land.

"Dream on Gilbert. I can beat you _and _your brother in a contest of strength and you know it." The other cackled as Alfred looked around. Damyan and Nicolae were in a 2v2 splash fight with Matthew and Francis, who surprisingly looked as if they had the upper hand. Meanwhile, Antonio was building a sand castle while Lovino was sprawled out on a towel right next to him, a basket and a cooler at his feet. Feliciano's grandfather, a deeply tanned man with dark brown eyes and hair who sported three wild curls coming off of his head, was a bit farther away and was chatting with some ladies.

Alfred kept looking around. _Is he still...?_ His eyes caught two beach umbrellas near Lovino. Two towels were laid out under it, one of which was occupied by...

"Well I'll be going now Gilbert. I have a friend who needs reminding of the definition of 'fun'." Gilbert cackled some more.

"Just a 'friend'?" Alfred started to walk away and said nothing. "Good luck lover boy!" The other called out to him. "You're going to need it!"

Alfred kept walking until he was in front of the other. He bent down in front of him. "Oi, Arthur. How come you aren't having fun? We're in the beach man, lighten up!"

Arthur looked up from his book. While he was wearing swim trunks like everyone else, he was also wearing a light sleeveless hoodie that was unzipped. "Don't feel like it."

"Come on!" Alfred plopped down on the vacant towel next to him. "It's not every day that we get invited by an acquaintance to go to the beach or get chaperoned by their grandfather, who happens to be one of our school's History teachers."

"Yes, but I never expected so much people to arrive. With Kiku inviting me, you, Damyan, Nicolae, Matthew and Francis, and Francis inviting the rest of his little posse, that makes the total number of people 11! And that's not even counting the number of people in the beach itself!"

"What, feeling embarrassed of being shirtless around so many people?" Alfred joked. "But why'd you come if you didn't feel like doing much in the first place?"

"It would have been rude to turn down Kiku's invitation," Arthur replied as he turned back to his book. "...pack after all..." He added in a low mumble. Alfred cupped one of his ears and leaned closer.

"What was that last part?"

"None of your business!" He buried his face even further in his book.

"Really? Because it sounds like someone's admitting that I have a six-pack."

"Only the beginnings of one!" Alfred grinned as the other reddened. "Just leave me alone already, Alfred! I'm doing perfectly fine just reading my book!"

"But it's ridiculous to be reading in the beach!" Arthur made a noise of protest as Alfred plucked his book out of his hands. "Why don't you build sand castles or swim or something?"

"One, making sand castles is incredibly childish." He glanced briefly at Antonio, who was trying to get Lovino to look at his finished sand castle, which was surprisingly intricate. "Two, the ocean is salty and three, I may be a strong swimmer but I'm no match for the ocean."

"It's not like you'd be swimming _that _far. Plus, I'd save you if anything happened to you."

"Quite confident, aren't you?"

"Of course! This six-pack ain't for show!" Arthur rolled his eyes.

"I change what I'd said- you're quite cocky, aren't you?"

"You know it!" Alfred leaned back. "But hey, you really should have some fun. You're only young once you know."

"You're young enough for the both of us."

"Hey, don't act so cocky now that you're older than before!"

"It's true though, isn't it?" Alfred laughed and even Arthur had on a small smile. "But you don't have to worry about me Alfred; I'm doing fine on my own. Now give me back my book." Alfred moved the book away as the other reached for it.

"But are you having fun?" Arthur paused, his hand falling a bit.

"I'm content if that works."

"It doesn't."

"Then I suppose not."

"Arthur..." Alfred frowned as he put the book to his side. Somewhere in the distance, Gilbert had screamed 'WATER FIGHT!', but the boys ignored him. "What will it take for me to convince you to go play in the beach instead of reading?"

"Once you don't call it 'playing at the beach'."

"It's true though! Come on, stop acting like an old man already and have some fun!"

"I feel less inclined to do so now that you've called me an 'old man'." A half-exasperated, half-irritated smile appeared on his face. Alfred just shrugged and grinned.

"Just go and have some fun, all right? It's the hero's job to make sure everyone's happy, right? So go out there and bask in the sunlight!"

Arthur shook his head. "You and your hero fixation... Now that I think about it, when in the world did you develop it?"

"Don't you remember? You're the whole reason I'm such a hero freak in the first place!"

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "I am?"

"Mhm." Alfred nodded his head in reply. "You know, you have a beautiful smile."

"I...a...what?!" Alfred kept nodding his head as Arthur blushed.

"Very beautiful smile. Even before I'd even seen it, I wanted to make you smile. Once I actually did see it though, I became hooked." Alfred turned to him, grinning. "You're not the type who smiles easily, but when you do, it's just so natural that it's like you smile every other second..." An idea struck him. "And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while."

"Alfred, surely you must be exaggerating... And did you just quote 'Just the Way You Are' at me?"

"WHEN I SEE YOUR FACE..." Alfred's grin grew wider as he started to sing at the top of his lungs. "THERE'S NOT A THING THAT I WOULD CHANGE... 'cept, you know, your eyebrows."

"You-!" Alfred laughed as Arthur started to hit him. "There's nothing wrong with my eyebrows!"

"Keep telling that to the caterpillars on your face."

"You idiot!" Alfred caught his wrist, causing the other stop.

"'CAUSE YOU'RE AMAZING... JUST THE WAY YOU ARE~" Alfred was practically beaming by now. "And yes, I am quoting a song at you. Problem?"

"Yes." He looked up at Alfred, a small smile on his face. "You're ridiculous Alfred."

"Story of my life, but hey, it made you smile, right?" Arthur blushed even harder when Alfred took his hand and brought it to his lips. "Such a beautiful smile... A hero has to protect that, right? Hey Arthur, have I become your hero yet?" He tried his best to keep his voice light, but he was being quite serious at the moment. Arthur didn't say anything for a while.

"Idiot," he said finally as he pulled his arm out of Alfred's grip. "You were always my hero."

Alfred was stunned. "Arthur, can I tell you right now that I am seriously in lo-"

Out of nowhere a tomato hit Arthur square on the face.

"_¡Lo siento!_" As Arthur was wiping off the tomato in his face, both teens turned towards the others. "I didn't mean to throw it at you! I was aiming for Gilbert, but then he moved!"

"The fuck Antonio?!" Lovino's hands were on his hips, both of which were holding red water balloons. "How'd you accidentally throw the tomato instead of the water balloon? They're both red, sure, but why were you even holding a tomato in the first place?!"

"I wanted to eat it!"

"That hardly counts as a reason!"

"Damyan!" Nicolae, who had somehow gotten hold of a water gun, turned to Damyan right beside him. "Do you know what this means?!"

"By the looks of it, something important has been interrupted?"

"Exactly!" Nicolae turned towards Arthur and Alfred. "We have a new goal! Since Damyan and I are the only ones who haven't done so, we're interrupting you guys next, okay?"

Alfred said nothing. He stood up and looked down at Arthur. "I'm tired of this happening every time, how 'bout you?"

"Yes." The other was glaring at the others. "Very."

"You up for some revenge? We'll be having fun as well. Don't worry, as your hero, I'll make sure to protect you."

"Just how weak do you think I am? I can hold my own."

"I know." Alfred stuck out his hand. "So will you be my side as we exact our revenge?"

Arthur was smiling savagely as he took Alfred's hand. "It will be my pleasure."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 2_

_P.S. The tomato thing was from a review I received for chapter 24. That had amused me so much that I just had to add that in, so thanks for that idea!_


	29. Doing Something Sweet

_Uwaaaaah! _Alfred stretched. Weak light filtered from the window and into his room, the sun not having fully come up yet. Today, he had decided to wear red jogging pants and a sweatshirt. _I haven't really gotten any morning runs done lately, haven't I? Oh well, this seems like a perfect day for a morning jog!_

He stretched some more, a grin on his face. When he was younger, he had usually gone on morning runs over the summer. He found that it was a good way to clear his head. This summer though, morning runs hadn't been on his mind even though there had been more on his mind than usual.

He made his way out the door, feeling psyched for the upcoming jog. He was walking in the hallway when he ran into someone.

"Arthur?" The other turned to him and froze. He was partly out of his room, one hand gripping the doorframe. "What are you doing up so early?"

He looked like a deer caught in headlights. "I could say the same to you."

"I was going to go out for a morning jog. I haven't done so in a while, but..." Alfred gestured vaguely to nowhere. "...I just decided to this morning. What's your excuse?"

"The cliché: couldn't sleep. Plus, I'm feeling sore from yesterday's beach party." Alfred chuckled.

"But you had barely been hit! I made sure that you were dry the whole... well, most of the time. Either way, that had been pretty fun though, right? Going up in a water fight against them all."

Arthur smiled a little. "I suppose so... although the sun does not agree with my skin at all..." He scowled as he looked up at his arm. "Honestly, I'm surprised that I even managed to get some sleep in the first place."

"Are you sure? You still look awfully tired..."

"Just a bit sore, that's all."

An idea rang through Alfred's head. "Well, why don't you go join me for my morning jog then? There's nothing better than some exercise to chase that soreness away."

Arthur looked at him skeptically. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Come on, what's the harm?"

"My soul." Alfred couldn't help but laugh at Arthur's barefaced seriousness. "Specifically my body, but my soul can't handle it."

"Your soul? What does your soul have anything to do with running?"

"Sports are what, 80% mental or something?"

"You're mental!" Arthur raised his eyebrows. Alfred realized his mistake. "I mean, you're a person of intellect!"

"Yes, but I can't handle the other 20%!"

"That's what exercise is for!" Alfred took the other's free hand and lightly tugged him, although he failed to budge the other by even an inch. "Come on, can't a guy try to ask a guy on a date without the other guy being all complain-y and stuff?"

Arthur blinked several times. "Do I even have to tell you what was wrong with that sentence?"

"Absolutely nothing?" Alfred smiled as he jerked the other away from the door. Arthur made a small yelp as he lurched forward, only for Alfred to catch him before he fell. "Come on. I'll go tell Mom that we're going out for the morning."

"I haven't agreed you know."

"Oh?" Alfred cupped his mouth with his free hand. "HEY FRA-!"

"Idiot!" He smiled as Arthur seethed. "That's foul play!"

"But nobody has died yet!"

"_You_ will if you keep this up!" The other heaved a great sigh. "Fine, I'll go with you if I must." Alfred grinned.

"What are you waiting for then? Go get changed and let's go!"

'''''

"A... Al... Alfred! I can't... I can't go... I can't go on anymore!" Arthur wheezed. He had changed into a forest green tracksuit, one that Alfred had lent him. Alfred only laughed.

"We've only gone through two blocks! Come on old man, show some spirit!"

"Spirit my arse... Alfred I'm stopping!"

"Aww..." Alfred slowed down when Arthur did. "That takes out the fun. Here." He brought his hands behind his head. "Walk like this for a while. I've heard that it helps catch your breath."

Arthur mimicked his action. "Thanks..."

"No problem Art, but you're pretty out of shape, aren't you?" Even though he was tired, Arthur had enough energy to glare daggers at him. "You should join me in more of my runs."

"And die?" Arthur scoffed lightly. "My soul can't take it Al."

"Don't worry Arthur; as your hero, I'll make sure that both your soul and your body are in good shape." They started to round a corner. A park started to come into view. "Hey, you wanna go take a walk in the park or something?"

The other eyed him warily. "Just a walk and nothing else, right?"

Alfred pretended to contemplate something. "Maybe a quick little jo-"

"No." He found it hard to suppress his laugh at Arthur's quick answer.

"Come on Art, I was just kidding." The other scowled, but there was a certain light mood to it. "So a date in the park?"

He blushed faintly. "A date is too much... but all right."

''''''

They walked alongside the rim of a large fountain, some ducks swimming on its surface. The park had small green hills with towering trees, both of which balanced each other out. By now the sun could be seen in the sky, but it still counted as early morning. Not many people were at the park, giving off a quiet aura, one that was unbefitting for the currently laughing young American.

"Really Arthur, you need to exercise more. It's good for your health!"

"You just shut it!" Arthur snapped with a red face. "Not everyone can be as fit as you!"

"True, true." Alfred patted his abs. "I mean, this six-pack's all the evidence for it, right?"

"Will you just quit it with the six-pack already?!" He laughed as Arthur blushed even harder. "You barely have one!"

"Still counts right?"

"Idiot..."

The conversation stalled after that. Arthur walked with his face turned to the ground, red still tinting his cheeks. Alfred was whistling a random tune, trying to think of a topic to talk about.

"Hey..." He said as they started to go around the fountain once more. "Do you want to hold hands?" Arthur started to sputter.

"We're in public!" Alfred shrugged.

"So? There's not that many people here." He gestured to the rather empty park. "Plus, we haven't properly held hands before... And that time when we were handcuffed doesn't count!"

"Speaking of which..." Arthur turned to face him. "How come you hadn't wanted to be handcuffed with me then?"

Alfred took a moment to think about how he would phrase what he would say next. "Because if we were handcuffed, that would pose a question as to how we would shower. That would be pretty awkward wouldn't it?" Arthur sputtered some more.

"Alfred, you..." He looked like he was going to say something but had changed his mind last minute. "Alfred."

"Yeah?" Alfred started to slow down. By the tone of his voice, it was easy to tell that Arthur had become serious.

"Why do you like me so much?" Alfred stopped momentarily in his tracks.

"Why shouldn't I like you?" Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Alfred, you have to admit that I'm a rather average person. A bookworm from England that isn't exactly fun to be with isn't the most ideal person to like."

"Average? Arthur, you're anything but." Before Arthur could roll his eyes or say anything in protest, Alfred continued on. "When I first met you, you seemed so sad... I don't like seeing sad people, so I decided from then on to try to make you smile. When you opened up to me... I can't tell you how pleased I was to see you smile."

"Then we got closer and closer to each other... and even though we fight, things always settle down between us one way or the other. We may still be young, but we've gone through so much with each other that it's hard to imagine going on with life without you." Alfred turned to him, a wide grin on his face. "How about you? Why do you like me? And don't do any of that denial or anything since even a rock can see that you like me to some extent."

"Isn't that obvious?" Arthur murmured, his face turned away from Alfred's. "You're so persistent... and irritating, cheeky, idiotic, much too energetic for your own good... And yet, it all works for you... somewhat."

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Are you really insulting me right now, Art?"

"Shut it and let me finish." He took a deep breath. "But like I said, it all works for you. Like the hero you are, you watch out for other people and while you can be selfish, you can be surprisingly selfless as well. And even though you make mistakes, you try to make them better. And most importantly, you treat whoever you hold dear like a treasure." Arthur chuckled. "That's only the tip of the iceberg! Really, someone as you deserves someone that can match you, not restrain you."

"Are you really saying that Arthur?" Alfred took his hand in his. "You said so yourself that I'm too energetic for my own good. If I find a partner that's just like me, then we'd be like human fireworks!" He shook his head. "No, what I need is someone more grounded than I am, someone much more calmer... But if I went with someone really calm, then I might get bored. So really, what I need is someone who's a combination of the two. Care to guess who they are, my wonderful little thumb?"

The other's face was red. "Alfred, I'm flattered, but I still don't see why you like me so mu-"

"I like you for you, isn't that enough?" They stopped, Alfred looking straight into his eyes. "And if I recall correctly, someone once told me that not everything needed a 'why'. So whys aside, I just like you because you're you, and that's all there is to it." His voice came out softer the next time he spoke. "So don't call yourself average. I'll even spend my whole life convincing you of that. I don't ever want you to change, because you're perfect just the way you are... And the way you are is the person just for me, so that's that, right?"

They were silent after that. After some time, Arthur sighed. "You... Come on, we can't just stand here all day. You're the one who said that I needed more exercise and standing around hardly counts for exercise, right?" He squeezed Alfred's hand and tugged him forward as he started to walk. "Let's go already... And for the record, this hand-holding business is only a one-time thing."

"In your dreams." Alfred beamed as he started to walk alongside him. "There's no way I'm going to let you off that easily when you're acting all cute like this."

Arthur huffed. "I'm not 'cute'!"

"Please, you're mad adorable right now."

"You're crazy." Arthur looked forward and frowned slightly. "Alfred... Don't say anything along the lines of 'I told you already', but are you sure...? I mean..." He looked at him. "Why me?"

"Didn't we say that there need not be any whys?" Alfred's beam softened into a simple smile. "A boy had decided to make an unhappy child happy and had grown to like him along the way. That's really all there is to it. After all, even the simplest love stories can be charming, right?"

"Love stories?" Arthur paused before smiling. "I suppose it counts. After all, I do lo-"

Both of them crashed into another pair of people. None of them fell, but the impact was enough to render Alfred temporarily stunned.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" Asked an all too familiar voice. "Wait a minute... Arthur, Alfred?"

Alfred looked up to see Nicolae and Damyan looking at them in shock. "Nicolae, Damyan, are you two okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Damyan answered. "You guys are too, right?"

"No serious harm, no," Arthur said. "What are you two doing here?"

"On a date, why? And by the looks of it, you guys are too!" Arthur became a beet red when Nicolae turned his eyes to their entwined hands. He abruptly let go, much to Alfred's protests. "Oh no, don't mind us! Sorry for the crash, but we'll be going on now, okay?"

"Agreed." Both pairs moved aside from each other and started to walk their separate ways. Alfred stopped and looked back. "Oh, and Nicolae?"

The other pair stopped as well to turn towards him. "Yeah Alfred?"

"Congratulations; you two have fulfilled your goal."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 1_

_P.S. This has been the moment I have been waiting for this whole challenge. Seriously, that 1 is something I have been anticipating greatly. But anyways, the next chapter is the last one! Hope you can wait 'til then!_


	30. Doing Something Hot

_This is it guys. The last chapter. It's been very interesting doing this challenge, and doing this has certainly helped lift up my block a bit. I probably made this way more difficult for myself for attempting to make a coherent plot out of this and writing at least 2,000 words each chapter. It's harder than you think. I was just making up the plot each day. But anyways..._

_To finish off my rambling, thanks you guys. For the views, for the favorites, for everything. Thanks a bunch to the people who had been with me throughout the whole experience (i-Spit-on-Fire, Israelle ParadiseIsis Hypnosis, lovemondotrasho for putting up with me talking about it in our messages...)_

_It's been fun._

* * *

"I see the little Englishman has returned." The door shut as the voice continued on. "Had you went up a hill and came back down with all the bananas?"

Arthur didn't look up from his book. He was lying on his bed and had changed into a plan T-shirt and loose pants. "Do I look like I have any bananas to you? Actually, don't answer that. Just what the hell are you doing in my room Francis?"

Francis plopped down- uninvited like his entrance had been- on his bed. "I was just curious as to your whereabouts this morning. Matthew and I were quite lonely you know, but I suppose you being there would have made things worse."

"I repeat, just what the hell are you doing in my room Francis?"

"As I said, I was curious as to where you were... Now that I think about it, a certain American was also missing from the breakfast table this morning. Care to explain?" Arthur rolled his eyes at Francis's teasing.

"We just went out for a light jog, that's all."

"Oh? A light jog, you say?" His voice became even more obnoxious. "Arthur Kirkland voluntarily going exercising? I believe that the apocalypse is coming soon."

"Francis, say one more word and I'll-"

"It was a date, wasn't it?" Arthur tried not to blush as he closed his book.

"Fine, it was a date." He glared at the other. "Now get out."

The other frowned. "Honestly Arthur, what have I ever done to you to make you act that way towards me?"

"It would be shorter to say what you haven't done."

"Perhaps. But do tell on the date. By your pleased expression, it went well, didn't it?" Arthur contemplated for a moment on whether or not he should tell Francis.

"Yes, it had been rather pleasant," he finally said. "We started jogging around the neighborhood, but we stopped when I had gotten tired. Afterwards, we just took a walk in the park."

"A walk in the park?" Francis looked intrigued. "That's actually a romantic thing to do. How did it go?"

"Why would you care?" Arthur felt the blood rush to his face. "But if you really want to know, then not much. We just walked around the park and talked about trivial stuff... Although we did run into Nicolae and Damyan."

"The new couple?"

"Yeah, they were on a date I think." Arthur sighed. "We probably interrupted their date when they had interrupted ours."

"You two always get interrupted in your confessions, don't you?"

"I never said that either of us had tried to confe-!"

"I could see it in your face." Francis heaved a dramatic sigh. "This has been going on for far too long. To be constantly robbed of the chance for your love to grow... For your love to be so close yet so far... Why, it's aggravating for those on the sidelines!" His eyes became serious. "You two must confess as soon as possible!"

"Thanks for stating the obvious Francis."

Francis looked at him exasperatedly. "As much as I'd like to volley our hostilities against each other like we normally do, can't you see that I'm trying to help you? I'll even help set up the atmosphere for you two!"

"I appreciate the help Francis, I really do, it's just..." Arthur took in a breath. "Sorry, it's just... Why me?" He looked at Francis. "Of all people, why me?"

"Arthur..." Francis's voice was soft. "Do you really need to ask that? What you should be asking is 'What do I feel about Alfred?'"

"I know how I feel about him," Arthur answered immediately. "It's telling him that's the problem. We're always interrupted one way or another."

"_Mon ami,_ fate works in mysterious ways. You will get your chance." Francis leaned forward. "The question is, when?"

''''''

"Where were you two this morning?" There was a light creaking sound as the door opened. "I didn't see either of you two at breakfast."

Alfred put his comic book away and sat up on his bed as Matthew walked over to him. He was still wearing his jogging clothes, having only returned a short while ago (that, and he was too lazy to change). "We went out for a bit of a light jog. Didn't Mom tell you?"

"Now that I think about it, Mom probably had mentioned that..." He sighed as he sat down on Alfred's bed. "But then again, it's hard to concentrate with Francis right there. That man is a walking distraction. It really should be a crime."

"Francis?" Alfred narrowed his eyes. "He hasn't done anything to you, ri-?"

"Oh, just stop it already," Matthew snapped, amusement glinting in his eyes. "But anyways, how did your date with Arthur go?"

"Pretty good actually," Alfred said brightly. "We argued a bit here and there, but we do that all the time though, right?"

Matthew smiled warmly. "It's great that you two had a fun date. You certainly deserve it after this much time."

"Yeah, I'm just glad that nothing had happened in this date like our last dates. Man, those had been a disaster!" Alfred chuckled. "Although something had happened this date. It wasn't anything bad, but I really am tired of people walking in on us when one of us is trying to confess."

"Why don't you just go on the roof while he's outside and scream it out to him?"

"Because then I might fall." Alfred hadn't noticed Matthew's joke. "And I don't even know how to get on our roof."

"Still, I don't see why you're tip-toeing around it. The Alfred I know wouldn't be so cautious about it... Or at the very least, he would plan for so long only to mess up later when he actually does it."

"Will you stop referring to me as third-person? And I would take offense to that if it wasn't so true." Alfred sighed. "I just want to make the confession... special, you know? Not like with flower petals surrounding us in a flower storm or something, but... I just want it to be a special moment, okay? I don't want it to be a half-baked job, and it's Arthur, and I..."

"You two have gone quite a long way." Matthew looked impressed. "And that journey has changed you... Al, I think having Arthur around is good for your soul."

"Right?" He smiled fondly at the mention of Arthur. Matthew chuckled.

"You're really smitten with Arthur, aren't you? Actually, you've been like this ever since you met the kid." His light voice suddenly turned serious. "Al, you really should go and confess soon. I know you've been trying to, but this is getting ridiculous. I mean, it's been how many years already?"

"I know." Alfred sighed again. "I just can't find the right time to."

Matthew put his hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry little bro. Fate works in weird ways a lot of times. I have no doubt in my mind that a chance to confess will present itself soon."

''''''

The sun was starting to set. The sky was painted orange streaked with pink. A faint wind was blowing through, soft rustling surrounding the area. Arthur stood facing towards a tree, trying to get his thoughts organized.

_It's getting pretty cold..._ He thought as he shivered lightly. _I should've at least taken a jacket... Still, being out here is good for the mind._

Arthur looked up at the foliage, specks of light appearing in between the green. _I've changed since I had moved here from England... I wonder, if I had stayed there, would things have still turned out like this? _He chuckled softly under his breath. _Of course not, I wouldn't have met Alfred. He's the one who changed me in the first place._

He sat down on the grass, his hand rubbing his arm in a futile attempt to warm himself. "Ever since I met him, he's taken up a good chunk of my life, that Alfred..." Arthur thought out loud."Sometimes I really wish that that wasn't so, but despite those times, I really don't regret having met him. Yes he can be an insensitive idiot and yes we can get into fights, but it's not as if the boy has any real malicious intent in him. For all that he is, he's really just an innocent and sweet boy. You just can't hate those kinds of people... all the time." He leaned back. "Despite his flaws, I wouldn't mind spending my life with him. Quite honestly, I can't see it any other way."

"You know, those are the kinds of things you say to people's faces. It's rather disheartening that you can say these so easily to a tree and not to me." Arthur jumped and looked back to see Alfred standing over him, his bomber jacket in his hands. "You cold?"

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Quite a while actually." Alfred grunted as he sat down right next to him. "Well, long enough to hear your little monologue. Back to my question, are you cold?"

"A bit, but I'd rather you use it than me." Alfred laughed as he put the jacket on Arthur's shoulders.

"I have enough fat and muscle in me to keep me warm, I'm more concerned about you." Arthur shrugged on the jacket as Alfred spoke. "But really, those are things you would say to the person themselves, not a tree."

Arthur blushed. "In my defense, I had been by myself. I didn't think that anyone would overhear me thinking out loud."

"I'm glad that you did though." Alfred leaned back. "Even if it hadn't been said to me, I'm glad that I had heard you say that. It means that you feel the same way as me, and I can't tell you how long I've wanted to hear something like that from you."

"Do you... Do you feel the same way as I do?" For some reason, Arthur had felt compelled to ask. Alfred laughed again.

"I'd think that was obvious. Arthur, I can't think of a second that I had ever regretted meeting you. Spending my life with you is something I had decided to do a long time ago. After all, I..." He suddenly moved his head from side-to-side. "The coast is clear, right? Well anyways..."

He met Arthur's eyes, their sky blue depths serious. "I love you Arthur. I have for a long time." Alfred suddenly blushed. "How about you?"

Arthur didn't say anything a while. Finally, he laid his head on Alfred's shoulder. "What do you think?"

Alfred smiled. "Even though I might know the answer, I would rather hear you say it yourself."

"True." Arthur chuckled lightly then fell silent. Neither of them said anything for a while. Finally, he got off of Alfred's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Alfred, I can't believe that it took me this long to realize it, but I love you too. Before I would have said 'I love you' like a brother, but now I know that it's a different kind of love I feel for you... So are you willing to accept me?"

Alfred smiled in both exasperation and pure bliss. "I always have been. Are you willing to accept me?"

"Didn't I have a whole monologue on that?"

"Then it's settled!" He beamed some more. "Wow, I feel like we just got married... Can our wedding vows reference this?"

Arthur sighed. "Alfred, now's not a time to be ridiculous."

"Ridiculous? A wedding's always important."

"I thought we were already married."

"You said that we had needed a pri-"

"Alfred..." Arthur's voice came out stern, but there was a smile on his face. "Just shut up and kiss me already."

Alfred grinned radiantly. "With pleasure."

''''''

"Can't they just lay off of each other for five seconds?"

"As always, your word choice is stunning Matthe-"

"Shut up Francis; I don't have time to handle your pervertedness at the moment."

"Then why did you say that in the first place?" Francis chuckled as Matthew set his book down at his side.

"Francis, what are you doing in my room?" He asked, changing the subject. Francis threw up his arms.

"Why is everyone so against me entering their rooms?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Francis chuckled again. "But anyways, turning our conversation back towards Arthur and Alfred..."

"What's there to talk about?" Francis shrugged from where he was at Matthew's study table, his laptop in front of him. "They're together now, aren't they?"

"Did you have any doubt in their mind that they wouldn't have gotten together?"

"Me? Of course not!" Matthew chuckled.

"True. After all, they're really close."

"They're too close, period." Francis moved his seat towards Matthew. "Them getting together was inevitable."

Matthew nodded in agreement. "You're right; we all knew that it would have happened eventually." He looked out of the window. "It had just been a matter of when."

* * *

_Events until these two become a couple: 0_

_They are now a couple._


End file.
